It is difficult to give meaning to the LeBron James era with the Los Angeles Lakers.
James decided to leave Cleveland for Los Angeles after four consecutive trips to the NBA final, including winning a title with the riders in 2016. His stay in Cleveland was intense, because there was immense pressure on the hero of the hometown to keep his promise to win a championship and break the drought over 50 years in the city.
When James arrived in Los Angeles, the Lakers immediately exchanged all their young nucleus against Anthony Davis, a star of good faith. With hindsight, this business always makes sense. On the surface, it seemed that the package of choices of premium draft and promising young players like Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram was a massive return for the Pelicans of New Orleans, who abandoned a great man subject to injuries.
But Ball and Ingrand never turned into players altering the franchise they had to become. The Pelicans have never done much with these recovery choices. And David Griffin, who has executed this decision for New Orleans, has just been dismissed. That tells you everything you need to know.
On the other hand, Davis helped James to deliver a title to Los Angeles during the NBA bubble of the Cavid-19 pandemic. As we all know, Davis has been sadly returned this season for Luka Doncic, a business that would have set up the Lakers for the future.
The NBA Bubble championship was the fourth title of James and the third different organization with which he won a ring. You might say that the bubble championship was one of the most difficult to win in the history of professional sports, because the teams had to take a long time out of the field, have Covid-19 in Florida tested daily and remain in quarantine of their families in separate hotels. What a bizarre period it was.
But without this NBA 2020 championship, James’ time with the Lakers would be considered disappointing and difficult to grasp.
During his first season with the Lakers, they completely missed the playoffs – a stunning after he had just transported the riders with four consecutive trips to the final. In 2021, the Lakers lost against the Phoenix Suns in the first round, although the Suns won the Western Conference.
In 2022, the Lakers again missed the playoffs. In 2023, they were swept in the Western Conference final by the Denver Nuggets, which would win the NBA championship.
But the consecutive outings of the first round have an interrogation of the heritage of James in Los Angeles. In 2024, Lakers were a non-eliminatory series. It was so bad that Darvin Ham was immediately dismissed and replaced by JJ Redick, who faced a fate similar to the first round.
The 2025 Lakers were assembled at the 11th hour. The director general of the Mavericks, Nico Harrison, always looks stupid to exchange Luka Doncic – although perhaps a little less, because the defensive faults of Doncic were exhibited during the defeat in the first round against the Timberwolves of Minnesota.
After another outing in the first round, James did not enter into detail on his future. It is to be expected.
The 40 -year -old has a new deal player option he signed with the Lakers last summer. He could refuse it and explore the free agency without restriction, or simply decide to release its last years in Los Angeles.
It will be a fascinating decision. James still sets up legitimate superstar numbers, but that had no impact to win in Los Angeles in the same way as in Cleveland. It is already a “Meh” free agency lesson less than James Harden and Kyrie Irving, which will be a major injury.
The impact of LeBron in Los Angeles was difficult to measure – thank God for this NBA 2020 championship.