LeBron James is adored and praised in Lakers Nation today, but there was a time when he was unsure if he would ever be fully embraced as the face of the franchise. According to Bobby Marks and Dave McMenamin of ESPN, following in the footsteps of Kobe Bryant proved to be a major challenge for the 4x MVP.
“James, who has privately questioned whether Laker Nation would ever fully embrace him after seeing him battle their beloved Kobe Bryant for so long, acknowledged the way the fans and the franchise showed up for him. ‘Much respect and much loyalty to the Laker fan base for showing me that love,’ James said. ‘Being the first player to do something, that’s pretty cool in this league.'”
LeBron James‘ arrival in 2018 signaled a welcome change for the Los Angeles Lakers, and his presence alone transformed the team from bottom-feeders to title contenders overnight. But after battling against the Lakers, and threatening Kobe Bryant’s place at the top for so many years, many fans were reluctant to cheer for his success out of the gate.
To this day, LeBron is the subject of hate and scrutiny from some Lakers fans, who resent his place in history beside other legends like Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
But after winning the championship in 2020, James proved that he’s worthy of representing the franchise and he’s largely been embraced by even his most passionate critics.
After becoming the only player in NBA history to surpass 40,000 career points this week, the Lakers fans reminded him once again where they stand and he couldn’t help but acknowledge how far he’s come.
When it comes to Kobe Bryant’s legacy, LeBron may never quite measure up in the eyes of most Lakers loyalists, but there’s still a chance he can close the gap depending on how these next couple of seasons pan out on the court.
Kobe Bryant Welcomed LeBron Like Family
Bryant played all 20 of his NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and it wasn’t often that he was matched up against LeBron in any of his teams on the Cavaliers or Heat. Still, as two generational legends, things always got intense whenever they did battle. While not rivals, LeBron and Kobe were certainly competitors — and Bryant, especially, was not in the business of getting too friendly with the competition.
Everything changed when LeBron became a Laker. Kobe had been retired for years at that point, but he made sure to call LeBron in the days after with a personal response. Bryant immediately welcomed James to the Lakers family and treated him like one of the franchise’s own.
According to James, Kobe made him “feel the love” that day and it ended in typical Kobe style by encouraging him to make a special run. During the brief time that Kobe got to witness LeBron as a Laker, he was highly supportive and thankful for the opportunities he afforded the franchise.
When Bryant passed in January 2020, LeBron was among the most shaken and it speaks volumes about how close they had gotten since James made the switch.
Today, thanks to his many accomplishments, LeBron is celebrated almost just as much as Kobe was as a Laker, and his legacy as one of the greatest players in franchise history is already set in stone.
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