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LeBron James is in his seventh season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, his path to the organization as a free agent in 2018 remains a topic. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that James signed with LA, in part, due to how the organization handled the end of the late Kobe Bryant’s career.
Lakers Daily’s Jesse Ciquini aggregated Shelburne’s story and Legion Hoops shared that on X, where it got James’ attention and a reaction from the 20-time All-Star.
“[Cap/hat emoji]. I came to the Lakers cause I wanted to help Jeanie [Buss] win championships, bring that Spark back to the Lakers and see my family blossom in SoCal,” James posted on X on October 5. “Why would I make a decision on how someone else is treated. Mama always said ‘Stay out of grown folks business’.”
“Part of the reason James came to the Lakers as a free agent in 2018 is the standard of care they showed during the final seasons of Bryant’s career a decade ago, sources said,” Shelburne wrote on October 4. “James liked playing for an iconic franchise as much as he liked how it treated its iconic players.”
James explained his reasoning for joining the Lakers in 2018.
LeBron James Name-Dropped Magic Johnson After Joining Lakers, Not Kobe Bryant
Bryant spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers despite demanding a trade to the Chicago Bulls in 2007 and lobbying the Lakers to improve the roster towards the end of his tenure.
However, he was not the Lakers legend that James mentioned by name when explaining why he signed with the Lakers.
“You look at the Lakers,” he said. “Being able to play for a historic franchise with so much history, and now being able to partner with Magic Johnson, someone I kinda like looked up to when I was younger and wanted to make no look passes like Magic, wanted to get on the break and be Showtime like Magic and then for it to all come to fruition at this point,” James said, per Mike Trudell for NBA.com in 2018.
“I think timing is everything. For me to be in this position now, the excitement that I have to be a Laker, I’m happy to be apart of it because I believe the Lakers is a historical franchise, we all know that, but it’s a championship franchise and that’s what we’re trying to get back to. I’m happy to be a part of the culture and be a part of us getting back to that point.”
The reality is that Bryant and James were competitors. They faced each other 22 times with the current Lakers star owning a 16-6 record. James entered the league in 2003; 13 years before Bryant would retire.
Bryant welcomed James to the Lakers, expressing excitement over the organization’s outlook.
Magic Johnson Actively Recruited LeBron James to Lakers
Bryant and James were also intertwined via a would-be trade that would have shipped the former to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst in February 2016.
LA inquired about the idea amid Bryant’s dissatisfaction with the team’s performance in recent years. The Lakers traded Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat in 2004. Bryant rejected the deal. It is a strong example of significant turmoil.
Johnson pitched James on being the solution to the Lakers’ playoff drought.
Johnson also sold James on winning a championship by Year 3. The Lakers beat that, winning a title in James’ second season.
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