LeBron James has stayed with the Los Angeles Lakers beyond the trade deadline, but not everyone in that fanbase is too happy about that. There are Lakers fans who are ready to move on from James, and his former teammate and good friend, Carmelo Anthony, was asked about that on his 7PM In Brooklyn podcast.
“He’s living long enough to be a villain,” Anthony said. “That’s what he’s doing. He’s doing everything at the top, still at the top of the top. Still holding this league down. This league don’t move without Bron. I don’t give a f*** what nobody say. It don’t move without Bron. Until he’s gone. His position in this game is bigger than just these wins and losses throughout the course of the season.”
James isn’t the same force he once was on the court, but he is still the face of the NBA. He is the biggest name in the game in his 23rd season, but he wore out his welcome a long time ago in the eyes of some. A section of Lakers fans, in particular, didn’t even want him to join the team in 2018, and Anthony doesn’t want anyone to get upset if he chooses to walk out the door when he becomes a free agent in the summer.
“If you going to be mad at him leaving L.A., f*** is you mad about?” Anthony stated. “You see it writing on the wall. Because of the influence that’s out there. Y’all pushing him out in a sense. Y’all never accepted him in L.A. anyway from the beginning. So he did what he did, being who he who he is and did it his way. So motherf***er should be at this point, Year 23, 24, I should be able to do whatever the f*** I want to do.
“Like I want to go back to Cleveland, I’m going back to Cleveland,” Anthony concluded.
A return to the Cleveland Cavaliers could very well be on the cards this summer. Former Cavaliers GM David Griffin would be surprised if James, an Akron native, doesn’t go back home.
Cavaliers superstar Donovan Mitchell would welcome James with open arms, as would the fanbase. He, of course, led the team to their first and only championship in 2016.
James led the Lakers to their first title since 2010 in 2020, but still wasn’t able to win over the fanbase. Despite that, the 41-year-old chose to remain with the team for all these years. James is currently in his eighth season with the Lakers, and this is the longest he’s been with a team in one stretch. Will it extend to nine? Only time will tell.
James will have plenty of suitors if he decides to end his time as a Laker. The 22-time All-Star is still performing at a relatively high level, averaging 22.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in 2025-26, while shooting 50.2% from the field.
A team like the Cavaliers would be among the title favorites for next season with James. He could prove to be the missing piece for them.
As for these Lakers, well, they don’t look like serious title contenders with James. He has two great co-stars in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, but the supporting cast isn’t good enough. James himself has stated that the Lakers are not a championship team, and going elsewhere might be in his best interests.
