On March 11, NBA commissioner Adam Silver suspended the 2019-20 season after Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell tested positive for the coronavirus.
Since then, other sports leagues have followed while states and counties have shut down in hopes of slowing down the spread of this pandemic.
For the Los Angeles Lakers, two players have tested positive for the coronavirus and Mayor Eric Garcetti issued a ‘Safer at Home’ order.
As all Lakers players have started their 14-day quarantine, LeBron James went on Instagram Live to discuss numerous topics, including his desire to play for the Lakers for the remainder of his future Hall of Fame career:
“I’m still playing, man. I gotta keep all my options open, man. But right now, I’ll tell you one thing. I don’t wanna go nowhere besides be here, baby. I’ll be a Laker for the rest of my life.”
After five seasons of rebuilding through the NBA Draft, James was the first All-Star player to sign with the Lakers in 2018 NBA free agency. While the Lakers had plenty of cap space during this stretch, others went elsewhere.
Although James’ first season was derailed due to injury, he and Anthony Davis have led the Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference now.
As the only priorities are health and safety right now, the hope is the season will eventually resume and the Lakers will have an opportunity to win their 17th championship in the 2020 NBA Finals — even if it is in late summer.
However, for now, it is encouraging to hear one of the best players ever wanting to finish his career with the Lakers. Considering what the team and fans went through for five seasons, that statement means everything.