Fans of LeBron James and the Lakers may be in for some bad news…or at least an April Fools’ joke. On Friday (April 1), the 37-year-old small forward announced that his time in the 2021-2022 season has come to an end. “I’m out for the season officially,” he penned in a tweet. “See y’all in the fall.”

The update wouldn’t be far-fetched as James has been dealing with injuries all throughout the season. He missed two of the last three Lakers games, sitting out of last Wednesday’s (March 22) matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers with knee soreness. His absence from Tuesday’s (March 29) game against the Dallas Mavericks was due to a sprained ankle injury.

James has since gone to rehab, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and was expected to test his sprain before the Lakers faced the New Orleans Pelicans tonight. Since his announcement was made on April Fools’ Day, fans are assuming that the news is just a practical joke.

“NIGGAS OUTSIDE THE PLAYOFFS AND WANNA JOKE? KOBE IN HEAVEN DISAPPOINTED,” wrote one user.

“I was deadass boutta enter depression but then i realized its April 1st. Go to hell dude,” added another.

Fans of the sport were quick to point out the Lakers’ performance and current standing as it relates to the playoffs. One person tweeted, “Bro joking around on Twitter like we not 31-45 about to miss the play-ins,” while another warned, “Keep it up & your Lakers gonna be out for the season officially too.”

As of now, the Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs are tied for 10th place in the Western Conference. If no improvement is made, they will miss the opportunity to compete in the play-in tournament and will be, therefore, be excluded from the playoffs.

LeBron’s tweet and the subsequent reactions can be found below.