LeBron James brought back hope to Los Angeles. The franchise had struggled for way too long and someone needed to carry Kobe Bryant's torch and lead them past that dark rebuilding tenure.
James' second season came with an NBA championship. But other than that, his tenure in Southern California has been stained by disappointment. Two seasons of missing the playoffs and one first-round exit.
While going as far as to say that his time in LA has been a failure would be unfair and inaccurate, it's clear that the Lakers organization had other plans in mind. And that hasn't changed a bit.
Lakers Want LeBron James To Have A 'Kobe-Like' Retirement Game
“They’re hoping for a Kobe-like retirement game when LeBron breaks Kareem’s record next year,” Lakers insider Bill Plaschke said on The Doug Gottlieb Show. “They’re hoping that LeBron can carry his star power for two more years. They want to make LeBron happy, and they’re gonna do whatever it takes to make him happy.”
Jeanie Buss Wants LeBron To Be Happy
James still has two years left in his contract, and, despite some speculation towards the end of this season, it seems like he's ready to honor them. With that in mind, team owner Jeanie Buss recently claimed that she wants to make sure he's happy with the team:
“I want him to feel confident in the team, that we have the pieces to win a championship,” Buss told The Los Angeles Times. “He has to be happy. I want to make sure that he’s happy.”
The King didn't seem happy nor satisfied last season. He threw some shade at Rob Pelinka while praising Sam Presti and his body language on the court reflected everything but happiness. But if someone can turn things around in a heartbeat, that's LeBron and the Lakers.
