“You sign up for comparisons to Magic” NBA analyst believes LeBron James’ time might not go down in Lakers folklore
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Tim MacMahon talks about LeBron James as a Lakers player
Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James agreed to move ahead together to bring glory back to the franchise. The Lakers is one of the most decorated franchises in the league but recently experienced a very rough patch in their ever so shinning seasons. In order to bring back the glory to LA, they tied down their megastar and ever-dependable LeBron James for 2 more seasons and looking to build around him. Many wonders if the king will retire with the franchise after the end of the contract. However, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon believes James needs to do more to be recognized as one of the Lakers’ all-time greats.
LeBron James played in 4 seasons with the Lakers. During that period, the franchise made it to 2 playoffs and won 1 NBA title in 20202. The results would be impressive for any other franchise, as per the analyst, but not for the LA team.
Explaining his views, NBA Reporter said, “This is the Lakers. This isn’t the other 29 teams maybe 28 if you want to subtract the Celtics. This is the Lakers. … You’re talking about no-brainer top-tier Hall of Fame talent to play for the Lakers. It’s not, ‘Hey he won a championship,’ it’s ‘he only won one championship’”
Making his point loud and clear, Tim continued, “When you sign up to play for the Lakers, as one of the best players of all time, you sign up for comparisons to Magic (Johnson), you sign up for comparisons to Kobe (Bryant), and so it’s only one championship.”
LBJ’s contract will see him play with the team until 2025 even if he opts into his player option. This will give him 3 years window to match up to some of the Lakers’ greats or cement his legacy in the franchise.
A look at LeBron James’ career with Los Angeles Lakers.
LeBron James is without any question one of the greatest players to ever play in the league. He played for 19 regular seasons, 15 Postseasons, and 10 NBA finals, and won 4 NBA championships with an MVP award in each of those title-winning runs. He started his career with the Cavs and returned back after mega-successful 4 seasons with the Miami Heat.
Though Los Angeles Lakers added one of the mega stars on the league to their roster, it was a bit late in his case. He joined the young and inexperienced Lakers team in 2018. He was 33 years old and had no capable support in the team; eventually failing to deliver a playoff spot in the very first season. It was actually a short break for LBJ, who played in 8 consecutive NBA finals before his Lakers season.
Although his first year was a bust, he led the team to a championship in 2020 with help of another superstar in Anthony Davis. They have not had much success in the last couple of years, losing in the first round and missing the playoffs entirely in 2022. Injuries have been a significant deterrent to the Lakers’ last two seasons. Anthony Davis and James have not been on the court long together enough to replicate their championship success.
Individually though LeBron didn’t fail in his performances. At the age of 37, he rather had his best season in a decade, averaging 30+ points first time since his early years with the Cavs. ESPN’s reporter MacMahon said James will be judged based on the number of championships he wins with the team. He said that critics will compare him to Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant, but the window those two greats had with the Lakers was larger than LBJ’s, and also they were playing in their prime while at the franchise.
Still, it can be considered and understood that Laker-faithful might not add LBJ to the Lakers’ Hall of Fame with numerous other NBA legends having played for them. In order to give him a slight chance to be in that elite group, LeBron James might need to win at least 2 more titles in contracted 3 seasons.
Also Read: “The new deal is terrible” Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo believes LeBron James has no use making more money
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Kunal Chawda
(600 Articles Published)