Lakers reject Mark Williams shows up to ‘funeral’ after first-round exit
Los Angeles Lakers could have paired Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams with LeBron James and Luka Doncic.

Mark Williams trolls the Lakers after first-round exit
The Los Angeles Lakers are out of the playoffs. They lost Game 5 of their series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Which means, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and their teammates rue the chance to go deeper in the playoffs. If only they had someone like Mark Williams to counter Rudy Gobert, the result might have been different.
The Frenchman scored 14 points combined in the first four games. That means, he averaged 3.5 points per game, not a figure that would threaten any team. Heading into Game 5, the Timberwolves knew that the home team would continue playing without a proper center manning the middle.
That has been the case in this series after head coach JJ Redick chose not to play Jaxson Hayes a lot. He focused primarily on a small ball lineup, which ended up having disastrous results. Gobert dominated inside and scored a near game-high 27 points.
He also grabbed 24 rebounds, which was nearly as much as all five Lakers starters managed. This situation could have been avoided had the Lakers not rescinded the trade that would have brought Mark Williams in. Now, he is trolling the purple and gold franchsie with a ‘funeral’ post on IG.
Mark Williams trolling the Lakers on IG pic.twitter.com/TyfFhKblLV
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) May 1, 2025
🙂
— Mark Williams (@MarkWi1liams) May 1, 2025
He then took it a step further to post a tweet on X. He did not write anything and just posted an emoticon showing a wry smile. Those reactions were enough for both posts to go viral. He still seems to be salty about the botched trade that would have made him one of Luka Doncic‘s favorite lob threats.
Mark Williams could have changed Lakers gameplans
The Los Angeles Lakers rescinded the trade to bring Mark Williams in from the Charlotte Hornets on the grounds that they were not satisfied with his physical examination. They believed he had some ongoing issues that would have made it difficult for him to stay healthy.
Had Williams arrived, he would have given he team a legitimate inside presence. That alone would have helped them control the interior. He would have been a stronger lob threat and also handled rim protection and rebounds.
In Game 5 alone, the Minnesota Timberwolves outrebounded the home team 54-37. Among those numbers lie 10 additional offensive rebounds. On any normal day, that could equate to at least 8 points. The deficit tonight, was less than that.
He could have also given the Lakers another offensive option. When facing smaller teams, Williams could have been the go-to post option. But now, he is sitting at home and trolling the team that left him back in Charlotte.
Dwight Howard embarrassed after his prophecy goes cold
Another former Los Angeles Lakers center, Dwight Howard, believed LeBron James and the players can help push a comeback to win the series. He believed that would settle the GOAT debate as it the 40-year-old would have done something no other player that age has done.
But he do nothing else other than tweet on X with an embarrassed face emoticon. He understood that his former team have exited the playoffs embarrassingly. Now he has no words after bringing up Stephen A. Smith who trolled the James GOAT theory.
For a long time, Howard has been advocating himself to get another run with team. He even claimed that he is the only center who can stop Nikola Jokic. Here, he is embarrassed as the Lakers could not defend against two big men who are at least a step below The Joker’s category.
😳
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) May 1, 2025
Howard might not get a call as the soon-to-be a Hall of Famer knows his time in the league is up. But he would want his former team to go out and find a mobile center who can give them multiple options going forward. The franchise cannot keep exiting in the first round every year.
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