The Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs game drew heavy criticism after Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart, and Deandre Ayton did not play. The pre-game injury report reveal was shocking for those who had bought tickets to watch phenom Victor Wembanyama face the biggest stars under the bright lights of LA. In fact, a couple who paid an exorbitant amount to watch James live for the first time has finally spoken about their experience (or lack thereof).

Amid a disappointing night at the Crypto.com Arena, an Australian couple, Mark Carroll and his wife, Lauren Simpson, made headlines, reigniting the debate around load management. The couple had spent $32,000 to reach LA, of which $12,000 went toward courtside seats behind the Lakers’ bench.

“Haha made the American news about my Lakers Game Insta posts 🤣 it’s ok… LeBron is still the man! 🫡,” Carroll wrote on Instagram. “Next game… Courtside tickets for Chicago Bulls vs New York Knick’s… could be worse. Anyways, time to go to Disneyland 🏰.”

Carroll, a fitness coach, later also clarified that he wasn’t disappointed with James anymore, sharing the exact reason behind his softened position. He posted a video of James acknowledging them before the game.

“Ok… we good now,” Carroll wrote.

Carroll revealed that just five hours before the game, he learned that James would not play and was “utterly downright sad” about it. However, Wembanyama dropping 40 points in just 26 minutes, while shooting 13-20 from the field, and grabbing 12 rebounds cheered the Australian fitness coach up.

“I give up lol thank god we have Disneyland tomorrow,” Carroll reiterated in another post. “I hope haha.”

The couple has their next stop at the United Center later this month to watch the Chicago Bulls vs. the New York Knicks. Hopefully, another load management issue doesn’t further sour their NBA experience. The whole Lakers ordeal of sidelining so many starters raises a question, though.

Why didn’t the Lakers get penalized with LeBron James and Luka Doncic out

Earlier this week, it was reported that the league was investigating the OKC Thunder. The investigation was into potential load management and a violation of the Players’ Participation Policy, which applies to nationally televised games. The rule requires teams to field their star players. The exceptions in the rule apply to “injuries, personal reasons, and pre-approved back-to-back restrictions based on a player’s age, career workload, or serious injury history.”

Coincidentally, the Lakers had James, Doncic, and Reaves sitting out against the Spurs. However, JJ Redick’s team was not investigated. According to reporter Rob Perez, the Winter Olympics came to their rescue. Since NBC had the Olympics on its schedule, the Lakers game that would’ve ideally been on their Pacific Time Zone calendar was not televised.

Thanks to the Winter Olympics, the Lakers were able to sit out their biggest stars in one of the most hyped-up games of the season without any consequence. However, it ended with fans, like the Australian couple, exiting in overwhelming disappointment, despite seeing their favorite stars courtside.