LeBron James Defended: Kyle Kuzma & Brandon Jennings Slam ‘Saved by Lakers’ Narrative

LeBron James will not be continuing his career for the Lakers next season.

LeBron James Defended: Kyle Kuzma & Brandon Jennings Slam ‘Saved by Lakers’ Narrative

Brandon Jennings and Kyle Kuzma defend LeBron James (Image credits - Firstsportz)

LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent in what was the biggest move in the 2018 offseason. His first season did not go according to plan, as he struggled with injuries and the Lakers failed to make the playoffs.

However, things changed when the Lakers traded for Anthony Davis in 2019. Alongside Davis, James led the Lakers to their first championship in ten years and was named the Finals MVP. While he has not reached the NBA Finals since, he brought relevancy back to the franchise, which had been struggling since the retirement of Kobe Bryant.

A post on X about James’ time in LA has gone viral on Friday night. It was posted by a popular basketball page LegendOfWinning which has nearly 300k followers. The post was:

LA really saved Bron.

LeBron James is coming off an impressive 23rd season in the NBA. With Luka Doncic missing the entire playoffs, James gained praise for his performances in the playoffs as he led the Lakers to the Western Conference Semifinals. During the regular season, he averaged 20.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in 60 appearances.

After his move to the Lakers in 2018, many believed that James would end his career in Hollywood. But he dropped a huge bombshell when did not sign a new contract with the Lakers and decided to test free agency. He thanked the Lakers for his eight-year stint with the club. It is the longest stint he has had in a club in his entire career.

James brought life into an organization which was desperate for a superstar after Bryant hung up his boots in 2016. The King left a huge impact on and off the court during his time with the Lakers. He may not be a Lakers legend like Bryant, Magic Johnson or Shaquille O’Neal, but he did have a successful time in the most storied franchise in the NBA.

Kyle Kuzma joins fans on the internet in defense of LeBron James

Kyle Kuzma spent three seasons with James during his time with the Lakers. He played an important role during the 2020 playoffs and made an impact off the bench as they went on to lift the championship.

While many took to the internet to react to the viral post, it also caught the eye of Kuzma, who came to the defense of his former teammate.

Several fans joined Kuzma in criticizing the post. Prior to James joining, the Lakers missed the playoffs as they finished in 11th place in the standings of the 2017-18 campaign with a 37-45 record. Hence, it could be said that James saved the Lakers from more dull seasons.

Brandon Jennings questions the post criticizing LeBron James

Brandon Jennings never shared a locker room with James. But he has competed against James several times during his 11-year NBA career. The post left the former top-10 pick surprised as well.

LeBron James quietly left the Lakers
LeBron James quietly left the Lakers (Image via Complex Sneakers/X)

With the post going viral, Jennings did not call out the post but questioned it:

Why u say that.

The page did reply to his question by saying no other team had the assets to trade for a player like Anthony Davis. While the Lakers did give up a lot of assets for Davis, the reason why Davis joined the team was to play alongside James. In the end, they delivered a championship and gave the Lakers five wonderful years together.

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