LeBron James has officially left the Los Angeles Lakers, and plenty of the team’s fans are glad he’s gone. Whether it’s because fans knew James’ salary would’ve held back the team in terms of building around Luka Doncic, or because fans simply didn’t like him, it seemed as if they celebrated once James let the team know he was moving on.
On some level, Lakers fans never embraced James the way they perhaps should’ve. The thinking is that it was because he came as a 33-year-old, and also because it was perceived that he was infringing on the territory of the late great Kobe Bryant.
Former NBA player Richard Jefferson, who won a championship with James on the Cleveland Cavaliers, had some poignant words for Lakers fans who are happy to see James leave during an appearance on the “Road Trippin’ Show.”
“Somehow in L.A., people are like they glad that he’s gone,” Jefferson said. “Did you all forget what it looked like before he got there? It was boo boo. And so that’s to me when I start to see all these people, especially Lakers and L.A. people. God rest Kobe’s soul. God rest Kobe’s soul. A lot of people, on the heels of Kobe’s passing… They did not want that spotlight shared in L.A.
“And there are Lakers fans, and then there’s Kobe fans,” Jefferson continued. “There’s LeBron fans, and then there’s Laker fans. And that’s where the clash in my opinion. The Kobe fans wanted nothing to do with Bron being in L.A. wearing that Purple and Gold because Kobe was their guy… But people were miserable the whole time because there was a comparison to Kobe, and that part they missed out on so much good basketball.
“And the dude kept, he literally kept the all-time leading scorer title in L.A.,” Jefferson added. “Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], that was one of the Lakers big things, kept it in L.A… It’s been sad to watch, and I’m glad he’s [expletive] gone. And I promise you, L.A., y’all are in for an interesting five [expletive] years.”
When James came to the Lakers in 2018, the franchise was at a low point after missing the playoffs for five straight seasons. It was two years after Bryant retired and five years after he tore his Achilles, and the organization was in a definite tailspin.
James made the Lakers relevant again, and it only took him one year to be joined by another superstar in Anthony Davis. The two led the team to the NBA championship in their first season together.
Since then, however, it has been disappointment city. Los Angeles has gotten past the first round of the playoffs once twice since and has won at least one game past the first round in only one season. It missed the play-in tournament in 2022 despite bringing in future Hall of Famers Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony.
It is now the true start of the Luka Doncic era, and Doncic has the opportunity to become a true Lakers legend over the next handful of years. The team has quickly remodeled its roster around him, and the hope is that it is only a year or so away from becoming championship contenders again.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Richard Jefferson criticizes Lakers fans who are glad LeBron left
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire | USA TODAY Network
