An interesting conversation surrounding LeBron James is about where he stands amongst Los Angeles Lakers greats like Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson. James signed with L.A. back in 2018 when the organization was seemingly in a free fall.
He then proceeded to bring a championship in his second season with the team, which holds a lot of weight in this organization. Considering he didn’t begin and end his career with the Lakers though, it is hard to compare his accomplishents in the purple and gold to Bryant and Johnson. In fact, Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan, who grew up a Lakers fan, played “Start, Bench, Cut” with the three greats and made a difficult decision with James:
Demar DeRozan does Start, Bench, Cut, with L.A. Rappers and Lakers players
Rappers: Start Kendrick, Bench Ice Cube, Cut Snoop
Lakers: Start Magic, Bench Kobe, Cut LeBron
(Via @Rjeff24) pic.twitter.com/wtChOHGOWY
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) May 30, 2026
DeRozan gave the starting job to Johnson and this is a respectable decision due to him being a pioneer of the Showtime Lakers. Johnson was a five-time champion, Hall of Famer, three-time MVP and three-time Finals MVP.
Johnson, of course, is regarded as one of, if not the greatest, point guard ever. Following some down seasons, Bryant was drafted in 1996 and essentially picked up where Johnson left off, winning five championships of his own.
Lastly, James became the next Lakers star when the Black Mamba retired in 2016. While he does not have as many titles, he won one in an extremely challenging year in 2020, given all the outside circumstances. Seeing how many legends who have stepped through this organization, it is hard to give all of them their proper respect, but they are honored with their jersey numbers in the rafters of Crypto.com Arena.
LeBron James only motivated by one thing
Following a historic 23rd season, James now possesses the ability to dictate his future. There are a lot of options out there, but remaining in Los Angeles may be in his best interest, seeing how comfortable and established he is in the city.
However, he will need to see what general manager Rob Pelinka does to further improve this roster and close the gap to contention. Luka Doncic remains at the forefront in terms of appeasing, but James could certainly help aid in winning despite being in his 24th season.
When a player enters the latter stages of his career, winning may begin to take a backseat, but not for the future Hall of Famer. When evaluating if there is anything else for him to prove, James was blunt by saying he only wants to compete for championships.
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