The future of LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers was up for debate for quite some time after the end of the 2021-22 NBA season. Although James had another year on his contract, many rumors suggested that LeBron wouldn’t sign an extension if he didn’t believe the Lakers were moving in the right direction.
Well, after weeks of speculation, LeBron ended up signing a 2-year $97.1 million extension with the Lakers. It was a piece of confusing news for most fans as the Lakers still haven’t made any huge additions to their squad.
If anything, their longtime target, Kyrie Irving, is also staying with the Brooklyn Nets. So it might seem like it was a rushed decision from the King. Either way, the deal is done now, and James will remain a part of the L.A. Lakers for at least a couple more seasons.
The aftermath of signing a two-year extension with the Purple and Gold has led to many NBA experts calling out LeBron. NBA analyst Mark Medina recently dissected the move and believes that the extension is sort of similar to Kobe Bryant’s farewell tour with the Lakers.
Via The Odd Couple
“I always subscribe to that old adage that you never bet against LeBron James, but I think in this case, because he is entering his 20th season and because the Lakers have so many roster holes to address, I don’t think LeBron is gonna sniff another championship. I think for better or for worse, there’s gonna be some parallels to LeBron’s latest extension to what Kobe Bryant had with his last deal, which felt like it was a farewell tour more than anything else.”
While James will turn 38 years old by the end of the year, he still has a lot of fuel left in his tank. So there might be very few parallels to it to Kobe’s final few seasons with the Lakers.
During his last few years with the Lakers, Kobe became a shell of himself. Injuries ruined his last dance, and he was never the same. Hopefully, that won’t happen in LeBron’s case, and if he wins another NBA Championship, it will certainly silence his doubters.
