LeBron James is considered one of the greatest players of all timeand for very good reasons. You may or may not like him, you may think that there have been better players in the NBA, and that’s all valid, but his résumé still speaks for itself.
That’s why the Los Angeles Lakers trusted him with the future of their team. They knew that it had been a while since a superstar wore the purple-and-gold and adding James to their star-studded history could finally get them over the hump.
Then again, considering he was often antagonized by Kobe Bryant, a huge amount of Lakers fans didn’t welcome The King to the Staples Center the way Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson hoped, even vandalizing some of the murals with him wearing the team’s jersey.
LeBron James Says Lakers Fans Don’t Care About Your Past
LeBron James has been able to win most of those fans and turn that narrative around, also helped by Kobe Bryant having his backand claiming that Lakers Nation should embrace him going forward.
Then again, when asked about what he’s learned about Lakers fans during his first two years with the team, The King acknowledged that they’re hard to win because they couldn’t care less about your résumé unless you actually win as a Laker:
“What I’ve learned from being a Laker is that the Laker faithful don’t give a damn about what you’ve done before… Until you’ve done it as a Laker, they don’t care,” LeBron said ahead of Game 5 of the Finals.
Lakers fans have witnessed Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant wearing the purple-and-gold so they’re not easily impressed.
That’s why they’re so demanding. We’re talking about a franchise that’s one win away from tying the Boston Celtics at the top of the all-time winningest teams list. So yeah, Bron, everything you’ve done doesn’t mean a thing without a ring.
SURVEY Will LeBron lead the Lakers to multiple rings?
Will LeBron lead the Lakers to multiple rings?
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