The Los Angeles Lakers are almost ready to start the preseason for the upcoming year. After a disappointing finish last season, the Lakers are looking to build momentum moving forward. For the team, this could very well be LeBron James’ final season before retirement, but no clear decision has been made yet.
“I keep hearing people like this might be the last year,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said. “This might be the last year. Look, he’s been linked to potentially playing in other leagues. I don’t know. Maybe. But if he stays healthy, I do not see LeBron James slowing down.”
James will go down as one of the greatest players of all time, but some believe that if he had been introduced to the triangle offense early in his career, he would be the undisputed GOAT.
“If Bron got introduced to the triangle at an early age, Bron would have expanded his game tremendously… He’s not as fast or uber-athletic like he once was,” Tracy McGrady said on Gil’s Arena. “But if we take Bron who he is now, with the athleticism, speed, and everything, agility, and put him in that triangle, learning that, I don’t think there’s any question who the greatest player would be.”
James has found success wherever he has played, but when it comes to the Lakers, former player and head coach Byron Scott doesn’t believe he has earned a statue just yet.
“I think if he gets another one, then he has a chance,” Scott told TMZ Sports. “But right now, if you look at the players that have statues in front of Crypto.com [Arena], these are long lifers. They’ve been with the Lakers for almost their entire career, and they’ve had multiple championships. I think the only one who didn’t is probably Jerry West.”
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
The standard in LA is championships, which explains why James doesn’t deserve a statue just yet. However, it seems likely that the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers will honor him with statues.
James has been the face of the Lakers franchise since his arrival, but now it’s time for Luka Doncic to take the spotlight. Only time will tell if James will get a statue at every organization he has played for or not.
