LeBron James was under contract with the Los Angeles Lakers for quite some time. In fact, exactly 2,913 days. The moment he inked his deal to wear the purple and gold on July 9, 2018, “The King” put the entire city of L.A. on his shoulders.
Eight years later, LeBron has announced that his time with one of the NBA’s most historic franchises will be coming to an end. Now, he is preparing to play elsewhere next year.
Now that he is set to depart the team for good, one question is worth asking. Where should the 22-time All-Star rank among the illustrious list of the Los Angeles Lakers’ greats?
Analyzing LeBron James’ Lakers Legacy
Without question, James is a great player and reached legendary milestones while suiting up with the Lakers. Among his accomplishments was bringing the team an NBA championship in 2020.
Unfortunately, it won’t be enough to quell some who will say LeBron’s stint in L.A. was mediocre or a disappointment.
It’s rather unfair considering the 319-223 record, which is how the Lakers performed combined in both the regular season and playoffs. Although he went 32-31 in the postseason, James navigated difficult competition and an inferior supporting cast during parts of his tenure with L.A.
Recently, fans and the NBA world saw him carry the Lakers to a 4-2 victory over the Houston Rockets. He did so without arguably the team’s best player: Luka Dončić. Austin Reaves, the other star in L.A., missed the first four games of the playoffs coming off an injury.
Then, LeBron’s supporting cast failed him in the Western Conference Semifinals versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. At 41 years old, James averaged 23.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game, but the Lakers were swept.
The former champions would send James home for the final time as a Laker in a devastating defeat.
But the recent loss doesn’t encapsulate his era playing at Crypto.com Arena. James, without a doubt, is one of the best players ever to wear the Lakers jersey.
It isn’t hard to prove why.
Ranking James Among The Lakers’ Greats
Throughout his eight years with the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James averaged 25.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per contest. On paper, it’s better than the number of former Lakers players. That even includes familiar names, like James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, whose stats, compared to LeBron’s, were inferior. Of course, Worthy and Jabbar played together, absorbing stats in the process.
Additionally, LeBron succeeded and, at times, dominated in a more advanced and arguably more difficult league. Keep in mind: the Lakers’ frontcourt of Kareem and Worthy was also led by arguably the greatest playmaker ever in Magic Johnson. Johnson himself has a rank above James, even though they’re both superb players.
As a five-time champion, he’s claimed the ultimate prize one more time than James overall, and all as a Laker. Nonetheless, LeBron is in the upper echelon of the best Lakers players ever. He’s sitting alongside Kobe Bryant, Magic, Kareem, and Shaquille O’Neal.
The Final Verdict
Now that we’ve singled out the contenders, it’s time for a final verdict on where LeBron James should rank among the all-time Los Angeles Lakers players.
James could be considered the fourth-best Laker of all time. This puts him behind Shaq at third and Kobe at second, with Magic earning the top honor.
Some might consider Bryant to be the best, especially with five rings of his own. However, Magic is a three-time MVP, compared to Kobe’s one. Bryant’s resume is obviously still outstanding, which is why the 18-time All-Star is the second-best Laker of all time.
He stayed after Shaq left for the Heat in 2004. Of course, O’Neal was essential to the franchise’s three-peat from 2000 to 2002, which is why Shaq is third all-time after his own eight-year tenure in L.A.
LeBron has a place over Kareem. After all, James took his place as the league’s all-time leading scorer. Some might not think it’s enough to replace the former captain of the Lakers, but Jabbar experienced his own era of underwhelming results with the Lakers before Magic arrived in the summer of 1979.
At the end of the day, an exercise like this is entirely subjective. Some fans in Lakers Nation might have Elgin Baylor or Wilt Chamberlain as the greatest Laker of all time, or one of the aforementioned names like Kobe and Magic.
What’s irrefutable is the love the city of Los Angeles will have for LeBron James forever.
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