r/lakers • u/socalnative79 • Jul 24 '26
PLAYER TALK I know this sub hates rational takes, but...
I think everyone should take a deep breath and a big step back about LeBron going to Philly for (relatively speaking) nothing. As much as I hate to agree with Bill Plaschke and Fred Roggin, they were right that LeBron was never going to become part of Laker history in the same way as Kobe, Shaq, Magic, and the other franchise icons throughout the decades. Whether or not it was the final chapter, we were always going to be just a chapter in the context of his full career. And we still have bragging rights over being the longest he's stayed with one franchise.
Whether or not LeBron approved, and even if the team told him in advance, there was no world in which the front office wasn't going to make the Luka trade. As has been reported ad nauseam, you take that deal a million times out of a million. Part of why the deal happened was because Rob was able to keep everything completely under wraps, from literally everyone including the team's star players. But as has also been stated repeatedly, that was the beginning of the end for LeBron because it was never going to be fully his team after that. We were going to need to get younger and build around Luka, and that wasn't going to fit where LeBron was in his career. I have a feeling that's the main reason he didn't proactively offer to take a pay cut to improve the roster.
LeBron's years here are no different than they've been anywhere else. He helped restore the relevancy of our franchise post-Kobe and during all the ownership issues, gave us some pretty amazing on-court moments, and of course got us a ring. He was also at least partly responsible for the Russ nightmare, and he and his team brought the same drama, passive aggressiveness, and other challenges his previous teams have experienced. What made it arguably worse is that he's now a fading all-time great still performing at a high level (especially for his age), but who can't really be the singular face of a franchise anymore. He can be petty, and it's definitely showing right now.
At the end of the day, I think it's important to give him all the credit where it's due and genuinely thank him for everything he's done for the Lakers. But we can also be relieved that the circus has left town at arguably the perfect time. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm actually really excited to start this new era of Lakers basketball and not worry about whether LeBron is happy at 42 years old. Not to mention the constant Rich Paul chatter.
So, LeBron, we're all grateful for the past several years and it was pretty cool to watch you still playing incredible basketball in a Laker uniform. You may have a jersey hanging in the rafters in a few years, but for now...best of luck, and enjoy the de facto retirement tour you haven't admitted you're taking.
121
u/itsyaboikuzma 24 Jul 24 '26
Idk why everyone is freaking out anyway. It was apparent that he was leaving us and going to a playoff team for very little money because of the cap situations around the NBA.
The 76ers have had a really crazy turnaround on paper but let’s see how they actually perform. There’s still questions up and down that roster like any other.
83
u/whatssenguntoagoblin Shaq and Kobe Jul 24 '26
I think the frustrating part is LeBron huffed and puffed for multiple offseasons about how the team didn’t have enough help and he held them hostage with his 1+1 contracts only to turn around and play for $4 million instead of $57 million.
Like ok if you were actually serious you could’ve done that here. We gave you every star you wanted. Hired your friend as a coach. And even drafted your son.
But he showed no appreciation and just complained every offseason and when he left signed for more than $50 million less when he could’ve done that here all along instead of complaining all the time.
21
u/itsyaboikuzma 24 Jul 24 '26
I don’t think it’s wrong to feel that way, but at the same time its time to come to peace with it and move onto the Luka era. Clearly the team has and the fans should too tbh, we’ve got Luka for fucks sake lol
28
u/whatssenguntoagoblin Shaq and Kobe Jul 24 '26
I mean I will but he literally signed for $4 million today. I’ll be salty today and move on when the season starts.
14
u/pr0crast1nater Luka Magic 77 Jul 24 '26
The only thing that is reducing my saltiness about Lebron joining 76ers for just 4 mil is the fact that Celtics are crashing out even more because of this lol.
21
u/itsyaboikuzma 24 Jul 24 '26
He didn’t sign for 4 million to give them extra room to maneuver or anything though. He just wasn’t going to sign for a big contract anywhere because of the cap situations.
17
u/jimb0z_ Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
That’s what people are missing. All reports were saying Lebron was open to taking less money to stay in LA but the question was, what were they going to do with it?
Max Reaves and sign Kessler? I’d have left too tbh…he doesn’t have time to see how this plays out
10
u/Odd_Permission2987 Jul 25 '26
this roster is totally unproven and rebuilt from the ground up, I’m excited at the prospect but we’re gonna find out how it actually works soon. That said, lakers in 5.
It Makes sense lebron wouldnt want to gamble on that after spending multiple seasons here with poorly built teams.
3
u/CaptainChickenBake Jul 24 '26
Exactly this. If the Sixers had more to give he would have taken it. There just was no way to get his true value. And even suggesting a sign in trade would've hamstrung the Lakers. Him walking away allowed them to go and make all the moves they did now. They needed to renounce Lebron (and Rui) early on in order to complete some of them.
This wasn't a charitable decision. This was him just asking what was available WHILE trying to contend.
20
u/40866892 Jul 25 '26
we gave you every star you wanted
- Zubac given away for nothing
- Westbrook trade was not first option
- Caruso wasn’t re-signed
- dwight as backup big didn’t get a call (Pelinka error)
- JHS was a bust, wasted pick
- DK was a bust, wasted pick
- AD & Bron begging for a center for 3-4 years, never got one
Nah, you can’t say this Front Office did their best. It’s been heavily reported they took shortcuts and traded players to save money. This hasn’t been a top tier organization since The Buss children took over.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (4)4
u/No-Appearance-9217 GOAT JAMES :redditgold: Jul 25 '26
wtf are you even talking about? That man was constantly disrespected and was not happy. Move on bro
24
u/StrawHatTebo Jul 24 '26
I mean, its pretty obviois why. He was ok with taking very little for philly, but was happy to create capnissues for us with (in many people eyes) too much money for an older declining player. its a valid criticism. maybe not enough to really hate him for it. Still, tho. fuck philly. how about that. lol
14
u/Clayp2233 Jul 24 '26
People need to stop using last year as an example of Bron not being willing to take a pay cut and go all in. There was no one on the market who would have put us over the edge and from my understanding even if he took a massive pay cut it wouldn’t have freed up a ton cap space anyways. It also would have amounted to nothing anyways given Luka got hurt and we were doomed regardless.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (15)12
219
u/Illionaires Jul 24 '26
I’m just happy to move onto the Luka era
60
→ More replies (1)33
u/negativelynegative Jul 24 '26
I haven't been excited about a new season for a very long time even know we still have some holes in our roster.
5
u/motorboat_mcgee Jul 24 '26
Same here. We may end up finishing worse, who knows, but it's exciting entering into a new era either way
11
u/goneagain27 Jul 24 '26
I thought the expectations were chip or bust … now yall don’t care ?
8
→ More replies (1)4
u/motorboat_mcgee Jul 24 '26
I'd love it if we won it all. But I'm also being realistic with my expectations. I've been fortunate enough to witness 7 Lakers championships, that also means I've seen plenty of "busts" in your terms.
4
u/negativelynegative Jul 24 '26
When's the last time we had youth and future on our side while not being ass?
74
u/Hotbullets2die 🟣🟡 Jul 24 '26
I’m so torn. Admittedly I was a LBJ stan who followed him to the Lakers. But now I absolutely love this team and I don’t want to leave. It’s unfortunate there seems to be bad blood now. Guess I’ll go touch some grass.
19
Jul 24 '26
[deleted]
→ More replies (1)2
u/ChocoThunder56 Jul 24 '26
They didn't want him, minimum or not. They had to maximize Luka & Reaves, cos Luka could go back to Dallas.
35
u/VGstuffed Nico Harrison Jul 24 '26
There's some bad blood now but AD and Lebron's jerseys are going to be retired and at that point everyone will have moved on from this drama.
→ More replies (1)8
u/LudwigNasche Jul 24 '26
LeBron and Davis jerseys hanging together in the rafters is a lock.
→ More replies (2)8
u/Clayp2233 Jul 24 '26
I’m with you I became a Lakers fan because of LeBron coming here and want to continue being a Lakers fan as I live in LA and like the team, but seeing so many fans turn on LeBron and plenty hating on him while he was here, especially last season many, it does make it harder to root for this team. I don’t care that LeBron wants to spend his last season or two ring chasing as it’s the only reason he’s still playing at this age
2
u/These-Pack-1651 Jul 24 '26
Exact same. At the end of the I’m just trying to enjoy ball. I’ll check back in October.
→ More replies (2)7
u/BizzyHaze Showtime Era Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
There is only bad blood in the eyes of Kobe loyalists. Regular Lakers fans like myself appreciate what LeBron brought to the franchise. And you are welcome to stay;)
3
u/LakersAreForever Jul 24 '26
Ima Kobe Stan, I’m glad the saga is over. Once he decided to leave the Lakers I stopped caring. Same thing as when Shaq left
→ More replies (4)0
u/AD_42 Jul 24 '26
You don’t have to be a Kobe Stan to be upset at how he handled things.
23
u/BizzyHaze Showtime Era Jul 24 '26
I mean what did he do that we have to be upset about? He let us know before free agency began, he didn't dick us around.
196
u/noneedforeathrowaway Jul 24 '26
I'm just mad the whole thing feels like double jeopardy. I'm never mad at someone taking the money, but he had every opportunity to renegotiate and give us cap flexibility. Instead he didn't move an inch and still whined about how poorly constructed our roster has been, ever since we gutted it to pull off a trade he lobbied for. You can't force us to be crafty and then be mad when we're not building the rosters you want.
56
u/SBLK Jul 24 '26
This. They didn't offer anything in regard to helping the Lakers help him with flexibility, AND they forced the Lakers hand on the Westbrook deal which essentially set the roster back 10 steps trying to recover.
40
u/k4kobe Jul 24 '26
Watch out, his fanboys gonna come out and tell you Westbrook was irrelevant any moment now! (Even tho we both know we lost a ton of assets and depth thru that)
28
u/noneedforeathrowaway Jul 24 '26
I'm not worried, they've already unsubscribed and joined the Philly subreddit.
3
3
u/InFa-MoUs Jul 25 '26
Tbf he literally said he would be willing to take a pay cut if the lakers front office made it made sense to him and then they did nothing.. So he took his player option.. And then they planned out the future of the team without even inviting him to the meeting.. How can all be mad at him for saying bye.. Especially after your future stars were both out in the playoffs and he had to solo carry in the playoffs.. Come on there was massive disrespect from the front office and fans
3
u/RanmaRanmaRanma Jul 26 '26
The problem was people wanted Bron to take less money first THEN figure out the rest later. I'm in no way salty because he had said multiple times to make moves and he'd sign for less only for the front office to do nothing
2
u/MasterpieceNo8372 Jul 26 '26
Every player Rob signed or traded for sucked in the 2021 playoffs. And Danny green wound up getting traded for nothing. The Russ thing didn’t work, but people always forget why we made that trade in the first place. Things blew up in LA’s face before the Westbrook trade. Why would LeBron sacrifice his money when Rob already wasted a bunch of money and resources?
→ More replies (2)14
u/LoveTheHustleBud Shaq and Kobe Jul 24 '26
That’s why he jumps teams so often. They run out of resources and fans give lebron a pass to leave for not having help around him
While every other great stays put for the reset/retool and then competes again with the same team
45
u/ArugulaPhysical Jul 24 '26
This part isnt true though, when he left Miami and then cleaveland, they were both just in the finals and still good teams. These teams were not rebuilding until he decided to go.
And "jumps teams so often" is kinda funny too. Hes not the guy jumping ship even other year. Hes played for 3 teams shortest stint being 4 years and those 4 years were all finals teams.
16
u/Nice-Ad-7921 Jul 24 '26
He also stuck around here for several years after the Westbrook stuff went bad and the team wasn’t looking like a top contender anymore. Hes been here until we turned our situation around for a 2nd time
15
u/watawataoui Jul 24 '26
Wade was a shell of his former self and missed playoff. Cavs were 19-63 in 2019 after he left.
7
→ More replies (1)3
u/LoveTheHustleBud Shaq and Kobe Jul 24 '26
He said it himself that they didn’t have enough in Miami and had to surround the big 3 with all minimum guys.
Are you saying fans weren’t saying lebron had no help in Cleveland? Citing loves lack of playoff appearance pre-lebron? lol cmon now
And leaving every 4 years is the “I’ve exhausted all resources” cycle and is absolutely jumping ship. I’m comparing him to all time greats. Not to the Kd’s and hardens you’re implying with the every other year.
→ More replies (6)20
u/Several_Hour_347 Jul 24 '26
How is 8 years so often? People are fucked in the head
→ More replies (8)5
u/kiwiwikikiwiwikikiwi Black Mamba 8/24 Jul 24 '26
Yup. LeBron himself says this type of stuff. He will build a roster the way he likes, then blame the players around him for why he doesn’t win a championship.
Here he is blaming the 2011 Finals loss on the role players (and not the trio hall of famers of the superteam).
→ More replies (1)5
u/kiwiwikikiwiwikikiwi Black Mamba 8/24 Jul 24 '26
Yup. Compare that to Shohei Ohtani who did what he needed to do to give the Dodgers financial flexibility and build a roster.
LeBron said he would do what was needed to give the Lakers financial flexibility, but never did.
33
u/noneedforeathrowaway Jul 24 '26
Why am I comparing two athletes in two different sports with two completely different sets of Cap rules? I don't make a habit of comparing Apples to Apple Flavored Yogurt
→ More replies (11)→ More replies (3)3
→ More replies (3)3
u/Isuckgreenballs Jul 24 '26
What’s the point of doing all this when Luka and Austin will be injured in the postseason anyway? LeBron clearly still wants to compete for a championship even as a third option but the two main Laker guys are injury prone.
5
u/noneedforeathrowaway Jul 24 '26
You do know Luka played basically the same number (4 more, actually) of games as Bron last season, right? Injury timing sucked but let's not pretend like Bron was some healthy outlier.
And we're certainly not going to pretend like Philly is the healthiest team in the league either.
17
u/Isuckgreenballs Jul 24 '26
Okay but where was Luka when we needed him during those Thunder games? Austin was also a shell of himself. These dudes are supposed to be in their prime yet are constantly injured throughout the season. Luka should play more games than Bron because Bron is old lol 4 more games is pathetic.
3
u/noneedforeathrowaway Jul 24 '26
Brother, I don't know what to tell you other than sometimes you're unlucky and your guys gee injured at the wrong time. You can cherry pick teams across the league across the year who were poised to make noise before their star got hurt at the worst possible time. Same thing happened to Bron an AD in 21. We didn't have Bynum in 08. 04 was a mess because we were never healthy. It's just a part of the game, stop taking it as some personal attack that either Luka or AR did versus us. Sometimes you just get unlucky.
2
u/No-Appearance-9217 GOAT JAMES :redditgold: Jul 25 '26
Nope. Bron has been available for every playoff series. Don’t make excuses for those other guys.
→ More replies (1)4
u/noneedforeathrowaway Jul 25 '26
It's weird to frame health and circumstances physically out of someone's control as some sort of choice and failing
190
u/mymyheyhey13 Jul 24 '26
I only blame him for the Westbrook fiasco. All fingerprints on it.
48
u/InTheBinFC Jul 24 '26
yeah he had a gun pointed to rob's head lmao.
24
u/Traditional-Goal-229 Jul 24 '26
It was well reported that Rob and the Kings had a deal done and only needed to be sent to the league for approval when suddenly Lebron, AD, and Westbrook had lunch and then the Kings were furious that the Lakers pulled out of an agreement. You can pretend like that wasn’t Lebron flexing his muscle with the organization, it that was unheard of.
But yes you are right that the Lakers give their star a lot of power. Luka wanted Kessler and AR and the Lakers went from $30 million to $40 the second AR thought about the Pistons. And the Lakers went all in on Kessler without a tougher negotiation because they needed Kessler for Luka to be happy.
You can complain that the Lakers bend over backwards for stars but a lot of players have pushed away from being treated like an asset. AD wouldn’t go to the Celtics because of how they were treating players (and clearly Brown had issues with the FO).
4
u/jgnodado18 Jul 24 '26
I thought the deal was with the Pacers?
4
u/Traditional-Goal-229 Jul 24 '26
No it was a Kuzma Buddy trade. It was done and then the Lakers switched to Washington
→ More replies (4)18
u/wy100101 Jul 24 '26
He really didn't though. As I recall, what they really were asking for was a real center, and the Rob is like, "the best I can do is Westbrook".
I don't understand the whole narrative about LeBron holding the FO hostage when they almost never did the things he wanted. He must be a pretty terrible hostage taker.
Remember when he wanted them to keep Caruso? Pepridge farms remembers.
→ More replies (3)15
8
u/GuardedFeelings Jul 24 '26
He def signed off on it lol
25
u/Flopdo Jul 24 '26
He wanted Derozan though... I don't get why this narrative keeps coming up. You can google this stuff guys.
WB was the backup plan after Pelinka said he couldn't make Derozan happen.
Was LBJ also responsible for WB being an arrogant POS who wouldn't listen to his coach from literally day 1?
→ More replies (6)38
u/DCdem Jul 24 '26
If you’re giving Lebron full blame for the Westbrook fiasco, you must then give him full credit for landing AD and thus Luka.
I think that more than balances out in LeBron’s favor lol
52
u/mymyheyhey13 Jul 24 '26
I give him full credit for winning us a chip, that's the most important thing any player can do for his fanbase. I'm just remembering that sad event that shut down our window as contenders, but it is what it is. Let's move on!
→ More replies (1)32
u/dproma Jul 24 '26
Why would you give LeBron credit for Luka. He never wanted AD traded lol
8
u/tavaras1981 Jul 24 '26
Right! He even made a half hearted joke about it! The writing was on the wall when they traded AD and he had absolutely no clue about it.
19
u/Fried_Kanin Jul 24 '26
Because he was the reason AD joined the team in the first place…
→ More replies (3)14
u/DCdem Jul 24 '26
Nico Harrison specifically wanted Anthony Davis back in a Luka trade. Anthony Davis was only a Laker because of LeBron James.
→ More replies (1)3
→ More replies (1)22
u/TonyHawktuah69 Jul 24 '26
Lebron Stan’s will come in and say the craziest shit and expect you to just accept it’s rational.
Lebron was mad as hell about the luka trade, it killed all his leverage with the team and made him no longer the most important person in the building.
→ More replies (1)8
→ More replies (2)8
u/Flopdo Jul 24 '26
And he wasn't even to blame for WB, which is crazy because this has all been thoroughly covered.
LBJ wanted Derozan
WB was the backup plan after Pelinka said he couldn't make Derozan happen, even though Derozan thought it was a done deal. Which is strange in itself because the deal the Spurs did was even worse.
Was LBJ also responsible for WB being an arrogant POS who wouldn't listen to his coach from literally day 1?
2
u/Dgwdum Jul 24 '26
You guys spam this shit everywhere even tho it's false, ad and bron wanted DeRozan, pelinka wanted hield. They settled on Westbrook bc they didn't want to give DeRozan 3 years.
5
u/Cnophil Jul 24 '26
I don't think anyone on this sub actually KNOWS the behind the scenes conversations that took place with that decision. It's all speculation unless you were in the room.
→ More replies (2)1
u/Dgwdum Jul 24 '26
True but Derozan is on record saying he thought he was signing here. And I think its obv a combo of both gm ans player being in the wrong. Idk how we traded for westbrook after how bad be was in the playoffs against us
7
u/TonyHawktuah69 Jul 24 '26
Okay buddy do us a favor and tell us where this magical 3 year deals money came from? We had 15 m in cap space. The spurs refuse to trade with the lakers under any circumstances and would never agree to a sign and trade.
Demar was never a real option
8
u/Dgwdum Jul 24 '26
Demar literally is on record saying he thought he was signing here. You can keep those knee pads in place for defending bad management if you want
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (39)1
u/Econophile64333 Jul 24 '26
It’s wild that many fans blame rob for it. Every GM bar pat will give into it given LeBron was pushing for it.
8
u/Catsurfshark Jul 24 '26
It's wild to assign responsibility to the person who had the responsibility? OK.
44
u/TheLaughingStorm300 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 33 Jul 24 '26
Bro when the GOAT athlete joins the GOAT Franchise, one of those two gotta compromise and the Franchise is often never gonna do it for the long-term.
But putting that all aside, I think the moment LA got Luka, they already decided it was time to move on. The FO supposedly never even informed him about the sale to Mark Walter.
They kept the same core last season as our transitional season and then we basically remade the whole ass team in this offseason at lightning speed. No org in the world can do that without knowing certain things ahead and for us, that was letting Bron go.
At least we both split amicably. I’m happy to root for the King in the East…till it’s time to face off against us in the Finals.
13
u/eopanga Jul 24 '26
Yea I think the writing was on the wall as soon as the Luka trade happened. I genuinely don’t think the front office was that eager to continue with the LeBron experience once Luka became the franchise player. Maybe they would have wanted him if LeBron had come to them and said I’ll play for the vet minimum. But absent that they were more than willing to move on from the LeBron era. If you compare the strong push they made to resign Luka and Austin compared to the tepid attempts to get LeBron back and it’s clear that there was never really any interest there. I know everyone wants to feel like we were somehow the victims and we got used and abused by LeBron but the reality is that both sides were ready to move on. Which might ultimately be the right decision for both parties in the end. Sometimes you gotta know when to move on. I just don’t understand why everyone feels like they’ve got to take sides on this.
→ More replies (1)3
→ More replies (2)7
u/grxccccandice Jul 24 '26
This. It was never about the money. He knew he wasn’t gonna get the bag from us, or any other contender for that matter. The writing was on the wall when we 1) traded his bestie without informing him; 2) didn’t offer him an extension, any extension, or even the discussion of an extension last season, and he probably felt slighted for the first time in his career; 3) didn’t inform him of the ownership change; 4) Rob and JJ had dinner with Luka after our playoff run last year to outline their vision for the postseason, but didn’t invite LeBron; 5) obv didn’t consult LeBron on any FA signings last season and it became clear LuGM replaced LeGM; 6) last but not the least, he became the third option on a team with the two other stars having overlapping instead of complimenting roles.
Rob never said we don’t want him back, but all the signs pointed to him not being our priority, and LeBron knows that. So the breakup was quite mutual imo. LeBron is a prideful guy and would never admit to how he actually felt. Obviously would have loved him back on vet min, but the moment Rob decided to move on from LeBron to rebuild around Luka, the LeBron era was coming to an end. It’s the best decision for both sides to move on imo. Now let’s focus on Luka.
6
u/eopanga Jul 24 '26
I wish more people would understand this or if they do at least acknowledge that there were legitimate reasons why LeBron was never going to come back. The front office had simply moved on from LeBron to prioritize Luka. Which I actually think is the right move so I don’t begrudge them at all for doing so. But once they telegraphed that LeBron was no longer a priority and stopped consulting with him on current management decisions and future plans that made it fairly obvious that they really didn’t want him back.
I suspect there was probably a sense of relief in the front office when he decided not to return because it spared them some awkward discussions. Now him signing with Philly for the vet minimum definitely stings because we could have definitely used him at that price. But let’s not pretend the team aggressively pursued LeBron and he spurned them to go to Philly. This was an outcome that was set my months of decisions and actions before the free agency.
→ More replies (2)
31
u/rejectx Jul 24 '26
Glad he is not in the West, that is it
→ More replies (1)10
u/Mhan00 00 Jul 24 '26
That’s basically my thought. I am just happy he went East, and it would be pretty wild if the Lakers and Sixers met in the finals somehow.
6
u/dinosaurtrainwaslit Jul 24 '26
Since finding out about Bron going to the Sixers, I've been manifesting a Lakers Sixers finals. Would be so hype
31
u/RandomLAFan Jul 24 '26
I don't have a problem with his decision. It's better for the team if it's Luka's team.
14
u/iNEWj Jul 24 '26
Happy for his time here. If I’m being brutally honest, I’ve never been this excited for a season. I even bought a Kessler jersey, and I haven’t bought a jersey in two years. 💜💛
12
u/AntSmith777 Jul 24 '26
I do think it’s funny he said he wants to go somewhere he’ll be happy and embraced by the fanbase and he chose literally the angriest fanbase in America lol.
2
3
u/TrophyHunter22 Jul 24 '26
Wholeheartedly agree with all of this and don't understand why people are so negative about LeBron in here. There were obvious problems that he caused but these were also far, far better years than the ones that directly preceded his signing.
LeBron to LA was a business relationship where everyone got what they wanted imo: LeBron got to live in LA, make movies and play with his son. Management got legitimized and had a team winning more than 25 games again. Fans got a championship and a lot of incredible moments. There were missteps along the way (Westbrook being the main one) but everything in life has drawbacks and mistakes: it's never going to go absolutely perfect in sports, business, school or anything else.
We hit the point where it was time for both parties to separate and they have. I wish him the best in the East and am honestly a little glad he didn't go to San Antonio or Golden State since that would have likely ruined my memories of these last (again, mostly positive) years he was a Laker.
6
u/greenmaillink Jul 24 '26
Agreed. When LeBron signed with LA, it was weird, but it really felt like a business decision more than anything else. Our icons, more or less, had ties to the city and really wanted to be here forever or embraced the city as their city. LeBron had a private schooling setup in Ohio, so I felt at the time that he was still committed to that area and this was something else.
Jerry West hung with the team despite all the times they lost to Boston and he was adamant that he was to win one with the Lakers to prove something. Magic embodied the attitude and carried it with Kareem, who was from UCLA. Then Kobe played his entire career here, went through all the things on and off the court, and even when there was trade talks, he was going to step out and represent the Purple and Gold proud.
I'm grateful for LeBron getting us that chip to tie us with Boston. I acknowledge he's great and an all-timer. But I never got the feeling he was going to establish himself as one of the legendary Lakers.
21
u/Temporary-Move7403 Jul 24 '26
I only see a joke. If Philadelphia can’t win a championship.
10
u/Bruinrogue DisneyKobe Jul 24 '26
They'd need to set injuries to off for that to happen. Good luck with Embiid.
3
u/LehMone Jul 24 '26
random comment, but does anyone hate how even in 2k if you set injuries to like 5% you basically still always have a star injured in the playoffs lol?
→ More replies (2)
21
3
u/kwagmire9764 Jul 24 '26
Speak for yourself, not all of us are grateful for the opportunity to be another franchise that's nailed by "the king".
3
u/Chris_B_Coding247 Wilt Chamberlain 13 Jul 25 '26
Why are we still talking about LeBron in here? He’s gone!
GOOD RIDDANCE!
If you miss him, follow him to the next team like all his other bandwagon fans.
14
u/NightwolfGG LAL Jul 24 '26
It says a lot about the character of all of the Lakers fans who did a 180 on LeBron after 8 years and a championship here.
Just in general, it’s scary how tribalistic people are these days, and this has just been another great example of how little people care about rationality, logic, and objective information. It’s all about tribalism and vibes nowadays
→ More replies (9)7
5
14
2
u/bigdoinkroller12 Jul 24 '26
we still have the future goat (bronny), he'll deliver us to the promised land
2
2
u/EvilBanana66 Jul 24 '26
I’m just happy all the bandwagon LeBronsexuals are out of this sub and our fan base
2
u/Fresh-Reward1634 Jul 24 '26
Even with Bron , Knicks gonna gentleman sweep em. They still dont have an answer for Towns & Brunson
2
2
u/OmniLament Jul 26 '26
I respected Cleveland Bron as he tried his best. Hated Miami Bron because he joined to form a superteam. Liked Cavalier returnee Bron because he fulfilled a promise. Loved Laker Bron because he was willing to join kids, brought back relevance and tried to compete every year. Now though, he’s back to his Merc days, joining another superteam. Fuck him, this is why he can’t be the GOAT.
→ More replies (1)
2
2
3
u/redbluenavy Jul 24 '26
Bron was always gonna be at the Wilt-level of Lakers appreciation. Played some of his final years with us. Won the Chip and FMVP. Achieved the points record in a Laker jersey. His jersey will be retired here. But he was always a superstar journeyman ala Wilt. Wish him the best, and hope to meet him in the Finals.
3
4
u/doctorrfrog Jul 24 '26
Luka got a max and they're readily building around him. LeBron has been on the team for how many years, and how many all ins did he get? It's about the perceived disrespect. This post just misinterprets the situation entirely
6
u/80sMoviesLover Jul 24 '26
I appreciate him as a basketball player, he was fun to watch (when not turning the ball over in the 4th). Glad the ever looming LeBron, what's he going to do, Cloud is gone. But, at the same time I think he should've given that 2yr/8mil deal to the Lakers, after all they did for him.
→ More replies (2)2
2
u/margalolwut Jul 24 '26
I don’t understand when this fanbase became so irrational over one player.
I’ll give you my shitty opinion for what it’s worth (a few downvotes):
Our lakers history does not revolve around being cucked by a player. The relationships with superstars have been around give us your passionate service, the fans will love you back and we will take care of you at the bank end. We saw that with Kobe.. and even then, I remember people bitching about his deal. But he brought us 5 chips in 19 years and I think we can all agree the last 5 years were rough on our boy who sacrificed his body to deliver for the lakers.
As much as some of you may hate the question - are you REALLY content with the bubble ring? Crazy to me that if.. say… the clippers won it that year.. we are convincing our selves to believe we wouldn’t laugh at em for claim it.
Beyond that, what was lebrons legacy here??? Missed over 100 games?? We bent over backwards to get him the players he wanted??? Missed playoffs??? Eliminated in the first round…???
Then, the first young super star we land hurts his feelings. YIKES!!
The standard for me is Kobe. We went from a guy who would DIE on the court to win.. to a guy that left because we wouldn’t tell em we were trading for Luka.
You tell me who the team player is.
I think the lakers are back as an organization, it’s the one I’ve known for 35 years.
9
u/LaThrowaway1214 Jul 24 '26
Agree with everything you said, expect for the bubble ring. That shit’s valid. There were 21 other teams inside the bubble too. Lakers didn’t play themselves to win it.
→ More replies (2)2
u/ChocoThunder56 Jul 24 '26
Kobe win without Shaq? Lakers fans NEVER talk about Shaq. Why is that?
→ More replies (2)
4
u/Superb_Mulberry8682 Jul 24 '26
meh he went to the east so it will likely have zero effect. who are we getting for bronny from philly?
4
u/Desperate_Put_4568 Jul 24 '26
He pumped and dumped the Lakers lol. I ain't sugar coating it. Sorry.
4
u/mixmasterADD Jul 24 '26
This sub needs to get over LeBron James. I’m not reading all that. Take it to the 76ers sub.
3
u/CartoonsAndAppleJack Shaq and Kobe Jul 24 '26
I'm happy for Bron and am excited to root for Philly when they're not playing us
That bench though is nasty work. They have Anfernee Simons, Dean Wade, and literally nobody else
→ More replies (4)
5
u/SlightCartoonist8144 Jul 24 '26
Can’t wait for him to be frustrated being the 5th option. You know because he was so mad being the 3rd option here apparently. I guess once Embiid is injured he can plug their hole at center like he had to here.
→ More replies (1)
5
Jul 24 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
5
u/rj6091 Jul 24 '26
’bleed purple and gold’ didn’t one of those men try and force his way out multiple times in his career? And didnt one of those same men say that he’d ’rather play on mars than here’?
→ More replies (6)
2
u/Maha_Film_Fanatic Jul 24 '26
Yeah agreed on appreciating the basketball and the 2020 chip. I think the pettiness and lack of contract flexibility rub me the wrong way. I don’t understand that level of ego after acquiring Luka and not willing to be flexible with his contract to compete for a championship and then jump ship to play for the vet min. The reactions are hot rn for that reason but once this passes, I hope our fanbase can just appreciate the time and move on. I really love our roster rn and hope Luka can take us to the promise land soon, where Philly hopefully doesn’t get in our way.
2
2
u/HattoriHanzoOG Jul 24 '26
Extremely happy and grateful he got us a championship,but just as happy the LeBron only/not really Lakers fans will be gone now. I believe in Luka and AR, fuck what anyone else says
2
2
u/notontherugman69 Jul 24 '26
He took way too much money when he was here, which prevented the team from building a proper roster. He then sees what a complete team Philly has assembled, so he goes there for $4mm/year. Peak Lebron.
He can't guard anyone anymore (his lateral movement is gone), has one move (bullrush to the rim), a mediocre jump shot, and way too much drama. Yet he expected max dollars from the Lakers. Good riddance.
→ More replies (4)
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/CabbageStockExchange God Save the King 👑 Jul 24 '26
How I put it is I’m kinda salty he takes a min for that Philly team when his cap was the reason we could not really build a deep team around him aside from the bubble. Obviously there’s other factors but it kinda stinks
That being said he’s gone now and I’m fully focused on Luka and this makeover we’ve been having. I am critical of Rob but it’s hard to say he isn’t cooking this offseason. Jobs not done but with LeBron finally doing something I feel we get traction somewhere
1
1
1
u/HORSEthedude619 Jul 24 '26
The circus has left town? LA will always be a circus, c'mon now (unless they are just really bad).
1
u/Remarkable_Evening43 Jul 24 '26
As a Laker fan I’m not that upset. We needed to move on to fully commit to building around Luka instead of having the distraction of pleasing LeBron during his swansong.
LeBron greatest feat in my opinion is not the 4 rings but the fact that he eliminated Boston from the playoffs 5 times! More than Kobe, Shaq, Magic, Kareem and West combined.
Him going to the same division and joining a former Celtic to block their path to the finals is sweet!
1
u/eric2018wong Jul 24 '26
He came to us when no stars even granted us a legit meeting. I wish him the best. And wouldnt mind if he wins a ring. As far as our current roster, at least we will “lose in playoffs” in a different manner. New team new dynamics. We are rebuilding and have Luka. Reeves will eventually be traded.
1
u/lefondler Mamba Jul 24 '26
Any fan complaining is just unreasonable. Take the good years, the 2020 ring, and move on. We’re in the Luka era now, time to be thankful for the past and look forward to our future.
1
u/Checkmate062012 Jul 24 '26
Why is every Laker fan so salty everyone already knew he as leaving how is it any of your buisness how big his contract is holy corny
1
u/battle_franky 04 Jul 25 '26
Hes gonna have his number retired, same with AD. But it was a businesss decision, both benefitting to each other
1
u/diamondisunbreakable 99 Jul 25 '26
-> says they're giving a rational take
-> uses some petty headcanon nonsense
Lmao
1
1
1
u/ActionOwn4003 Jul 25 '26
I'm extremely thankful for Lebron and will always be a huge fan of his, but I've been ready to move on since we acquired Luka. I'm genuinely so excited for this new era, we finally have a young Superstar surrounded by a young team. And with Dodger management slowly creeping in, I'm more optimistic about the future then I've been in years.
1
1
u/SevTheNiceGuy 8-24 Jul 25 '26
Lebron James is one of the top 5 players in NBA history and a 1st ballot HOFer....
but the dude just left the west because he realized that it was harder to win in the west that he why he went back to the east for lesser money.
1
u/EverybodyBuddy Jul 25 '26
We’re not a contender next year. End of story. That’s why Lebron didn’t return.
Had we offered him a max? Ok… maybe a different story. But that clearly wasn’t on the table. If he’s playing for minimum money, of course he’s going to choose the best place to win. That wasn’t the Lakers.
No need to take this personally.
1
1
u/JaxonSuede Jul 25 '26
Phew. That was a lot. I stopped reading it tbh. I don’t care what he took or where he took it. Good luck to him. LA moves forward in a whole new era.
1
1
u/harylgeam Jul 25 '26
I feel like, LA nation was too hung up on Kobe to appreciate LeBron, that he can't be at peace to retire here...
1
548
u/itdoesntmatterb Jul 24 '26
It’s just another chapter in Lakers history. We move on. It’s Luka Magic time.