LeBron James Lakers legacy reveals power, price of modern NBA superstar
LeBron James arrived in Los Angeles in 2018 carrying more than championship expectations.He carried an entire era of NBA change with him.When James joined the Lakers, he was already a champion in Miami, a legend in Cleveland and could have retired as one of the NBA’s greatest players.But he was also different from the NBA icons who came before him.Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant are remembered largely through the teams they came to define.James has always been remembered as the superstar who helped redefine how much power a player could exercise.That made his Lakers years historic.It also made them complicated.When James signed with LA in 2018, the Lakers were no longer the automatic center of the basketball universe.
They were young, uneven and years removed from real contention.His first season did little to change that.
A groin injury derailed the year, the Lakers missed the playoffs and some dismissed James’ move West as a Hollywood play rather than a practical basketball decision.Then came the first major turn.In 2019, the Lakers traded for Anthony Davis, giving James the superstar partner he needed and immediately restoring LA as a championship threat.The Lakers looked like a machine during the 2019-20 season, but that year became about much more than basketball.In January 2020, Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash.
Less than two months later, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most of the world and the NBA season.James helped carry the franchise through that grief and uncertainty.Inside the Orlando bubble, he led the Lakers to the franchise’s 17th championship and won Finals MVP, becoming the first player in NBA history to claim that honor with three different teams.That title is the cleanest part of his Lakers legacy.The rest is where the debate begins.James did not just play for the Lakers.
He changed the way the Lakers operated.His presence brought urgency.
It brought Davis.It brought a win-no...