LeBron James’ tenure with Lakers equates to how much?
Do you have that friend that’s just lucky? They always win the raffle. Maybe met the love of their life in line at the grocery store. Bought a stock on a whim that blew up.
To me, that’s the Lakers. I’m not knocking them—they are one of the premier franchises in all of sports but they have a history of incredible opportunities falling into their laps.
He first graced the cover of Sports Illustrated as a high school junior, anointed “The Chosen One.” It wasn’t hyperbole.
After watching him win three titles at UCLA, the Lakers acquired Lew Alcindor in a lopsided trade six years into his career.
They secured the rights to draft Magic Johnson via trade. The Lakers effectively traded Vlade Divac for Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal—technically it was for the just-drafted Kobe, but jettisoning Divac’s salary enabled the Lakers to lure O’Neal as a free agent.
Pau Gasol arrived after another lopsided trade that helped the team win back-to-back titles.
So it was little surprise in 2018 when LeBron James decided to sign as a free agent with the Lakers.
Seven years into his Laker tenure, just how well has it gone? A few weeks ago his team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, despite being the higher seed. Recently, that has been the Lakers most frequent playoff result.
To zoom out and take a step back, LeBron wasn’t just any free agent acquisition. He first graced the cover of Sports Illustrated as a high school junior, anointed “The Chosen One.” It wasn’t hyperbole.
Spending his entire adult life under a microscope, all he has done is shatter every expectation. He won titles in Miami and Cleveland (Cleveland!). In his private life, by any account he appears to be a loving father and family man. He and his wife have three kids, the oldest of whom was famously drafted by the Lakers last summer. He’s a billionaire with budding interests in numerous businesses, including entertainment and media.
Oh, and he’s pretty good on the court too. In 2023 he passed former Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time leading scorer in the history of the sport. It’s an ongoing debate whether he or Michael Jordan is the sport’s greatest player. Yeah, Sports Illustrated got it right.
But what about his legacy as a Laker? His first year they finished below 500. Through his seven Lakers seasons, they’ve only made it out of the first round of the playoffs twice.
In 2023 they were swept in the Western Conference finals by the eventual champion, the Denver Nuggets; that the Lakers even advanced that far was improbable. They were the seventh seed only by virtue of winning a play-in game.
And then there was 2020. We generally try to forget that time, when COVID-19 struck and shut down the world; for the Lakers, it’s arguably their only good memory during LeBron’s tenure. They stood atop the West standings when play was shut down by the league on March 11. Five months later a few games were played to determine playoff seedings, and all playoff games were played in “the bubble,” an empty arena in Orlando.
The players were isolated in a hotel for two months without their families; some handled it well, others didn’t. The Lakers emerged from the quagmire to defeat an unlikely and upstart Miami Heat team to claim the title.
Other than a pandemic title, there hasn’t been much winning during LeBron’s Lakers tenure. Where does the blame lie for the relative lack of success? Remember, despite now being 40, LeBron has performed at an elite level the entire time he’s been here.
So what’s the problem? Think back to what you remember about the franchise. A singular, strong owner. Great personnel management. Legendary, world-class coaches (think Pat Riley, Phil Jackson). And shrewd roster construction. Does any of that resemble the current era of the franchise, with a revolving door installed in the head coach’s office and a scattershot approach to drafting and player acquisition?
LeBron wasn’t just Sports Illustrated’s chosen one, he was the Lakers’ savior. Surely he’d pick up where Kobe left off, one of the greatest winners the sport ever saw.
But that’s just not how it’s gone. In his seven Lakers seasons they’ve only won 50 games in a season twice. And yes, there was that title. If a lone title was claimed in an arena where no one was there to see it (or hear it) did it really happen?,
Category: People
