LeBron James’ time with the Los Angeles Lakers has come to an end after eight years with the franchise. While his time with other teams may be more fondly remembered, James still spent more consecutive seasons with the Lakers than any other team in his illustrious career and left an indelible mark on the franchise.
James’ next destination remains unknown, but he is still appreciative of the time he spent in Los Angeles. At his recent appearance at Fanatics Fest NYC, James took some time to praise the entire organization from top to bottom, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“Shoutout my former team, I spent eight great years with the Los Angeles Lakers,” James said. “One of the most historical franchises in the world. Shoutout Jeanie Buss, the whole Buss family. Rob Pelinka. Everybody. All the coaches that I played for there. All my teammates. S—, I am going to miss them all, obviously. So, that was an unbelievable ride and I’m just looking forward to what holds next as I wind down the final stages of my journey.”
The Lakers and James were perfect for each other for the time they were together. James needed a new challenge after leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA Championship in franchise history, while the Lakers were in dire need of a new face of the franchise following the retirement of the legendary Kobe Bryant.
While there were obviously some hiccups throughout the years, as is to be expected, there were also a ton of beautiful moments, including winning the 2020 NBA Championship, breaking the NBA’s all-time scoring record, and sharing the court with his son Bronny James.
Whether he was as beloved as he should’ve been is up for debate, but James’ time with the Lakers was without a doubt a major success and all sides came together to make the partnership work for as long as it did. It was an excellent time for everyone involved and now is the right time for both sides to go their separate ways.
Austin Reaves still processing LeBron James’ departure from Lakers
One of those teammates who spent many years with James was Austin Reaves, who has been alongside the superstar for the entirety of his five-year career. Now for the first time, Reaves will go into a season without James as his teammate and he admitted that he still hasn’t quite processed the fact that the all-time great won’t be with the purple and gold next season.
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