Now that LeBron James’ time with the Los Angeles Lakers has officially come to an end, many are looking back on it and there have been differing opinions. While most acknowledge all that James accomplished in the purple and gold, there has always been this lingering feeling amongst many that he never felt like a Laker in the way that others like Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson did.
One person who is more than qualified to speak to this is Trevor Ariza, who played alongside both Bryant and James with the Lakers, but also grew up in Southern California. And he feels James’ legacy is being treated a little unfairly by some, and believes his time with the Lakers should be celebrated, via Ryan Ward on SI:
“It’s kind of unfair, because being in L.A. and being from L.A., you were spoiled with lifelong Lakers, people who’ve been there for a long time and grew with the organization, and just made their imprint on the organization in that way. LeBron coming to L.A. with who he is already, it kind of tainted what I guess Laker fans look at it is like Lakers for life, but when he got here, everything changed, everything went upwards, ticket prices increased (laughs). The jersey sales probably increased. We were starting to win more. We got a championship out of it.
“So his time here should be celebrated just like everybody else who has won the title. He’s a Laker. He’s been a Laker. I think whatever negativity he gives might be unwarranted a little bit.”
There is no denying how important James is to the history of the Lakers. This franchise was at its lowest point in history and James’ arrival changed everything. He did lead this team back to championship glory, not to mention the countless records he achieved as a Laker.
The difference between James and other Lakers legends is that he was already a made man before ever coming to this franchise. Ariza is right in that it is unfair to compare him to the likes of Johnson and Bryant as fans watched them grow up from teenagers. Even someone like Shaquille O’Neal hadn’t reached his peak or won a championship before joining the franchise and had his best years with the Lakers.
In the end, James’ jersey will be hanging in the rafters one day, and deservedly so. There were some situations that didn’t endear him to the fans so well, but that does not change the impact he had on this franchise.
Derek Fisher believes Lakers will be fine without LeBron James
The Lakers will now have to navigate life without James as he moved on to the Philadelphia 76ers, but Derek Fisher feels that with Luka Doncic leading the way, the Lakers won’t fall off much, if at all.
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