After a second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James decided it was time to start the next chapter of his amazing NBA career. LBJ made the decision to join none other than the iconic Los Angeles Lakers franchise, which has been home to some of the greatest players in the history of the league.
Although James has led the Lakers to one NBA Championship in his stint with the team, he is still far from being considered a legend for the franchise. The reason is that the King and co. have also missed the playoffs twice and been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs once since 2018.
Despite that, many have made the argument that LeBron is already an all-time great for the Purple and Gold. To be honest, when we take a look at Bron’s entire career, he is certainly one of the best players to ever play in the NBA. But his time with the Lakers needs a few more accolades to be mentioned among the greatest Lakers players of all time.
NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith recently spoke about the same and gave a few very good reasons why James still needs to achieve more before having a statue outside of the Lakers’ stadium.
(starts at 2:15):
LeBron James is not getting a statue outside of the Staples. You got to be there for a while. You can’t just get statues outside of the Staples Center. You didn’t put in the time Magic, and Kareem, and Kobe, and them put in as a Laker, in the purple and gold. No, you’ve been a mercenary.”
Smith pointed out that LeBron hasn’t been a part of the Lakers for that long is the reason why he will not get a statue out of the Lakers stadium.
But at the same time, the veteran analyst believes that James will arguably retire as a top 3 NBA player of all time. All things considered, Smith’s assessment of LeBron’s legacy is pretty much spot on, and there shouldn’t be much fuss over it.
