With James, the Lakers went from not making the playoffs to winning the NBA Finals in just two seasons, which is undoubtedly an impressive feat. But since 2020, there has been a roller coaster of outcomes surrounding this team as they have yet to get back to the Finals.
Now, the four-time champion is 41 years old, and he remains deadset on playing winning basketball to finish out his career. There has been no determination on how many years he has left, but the anticipation is he will return for a 24th season in the NBA.
Whether that is in Los Angeles or not is a bigger question, but Lakers legend Byron Scott thinks that James’ tenure should be over in the City of Angels, as he harshly stated in an interview on Power 106 radio:
“I just thought it was laughable, coming from one of the greatest players to ever play the game, that it was harder to play now than it was then,” Scott said. “I’m a fan, but I don’t mince words. I think this should be his last year here. . .you don’t got to go home, but you got to get the hell up out of here.”
As the Lakers move into their next phase building around Luka Doncic, it does make sense to move off of James after this year and fully embrace putting a younger roster together to complement the Slovenia superstar. However, there is no denying what the future Hall of Famer has done for this Lakers organization to bring them back from mediocrity.
During his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, James was known for putting pressure on front offices to make roster moves to contend for titles. On the flip side, he took a step back in L.A. after the failed Russell Westbrook experiment in 2021-22.
Optically, arguments can be made on either side, but there have been plenty of flaws during LeBron’s tenure. At this point, it appears like both sides have a working relationship and who knows if they want to continue their partnership. Signs are pointing to a new era of Lakers basketball this summer, and it centers around Doncic.
LeBron James reacts to reaching 43,000 career points
Despite all the outside noise surrounding LeBron James and his future with the Lakers, he can still contribute to meaningful basketball at this stage of his career. He continues to outlast Father Time and recently reached another absurd milestone of 43,000 career points.
James shared his reaction to this latest accomplishment, expressing gratitude for all the accolades over the past two decades.
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