LeBron James is setting the record straight about his move to the Lakers

LeBron James’ tenure as a Los Angeles Lakers star has nothing to do with NBA star Kobe Bryant. The “Black Mamba” retired in 2016 after 20 seasons, all spent in LA, after being drafted and quickly traded by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996.

On trend

“King James” was signed as a free agent in the summer of 2018 after two stints with his hometown team, the Ohio-based Cleveland Cavaliers, and then the Miami Heat. Between the two camps he won three championship titles, two fewer than Bryant at the time of his retirement. On Saturday (October 5), a tweet from Legion Hoop caught LeBron’s attention and prompted him to literally talk about the misunderstood motivation behind his move to the West Coast.

The Twitter account, which promotes all things NBA-related, shared a link to a Lakers Daily post that cited an insider perspective on the career move. The Lakers Daily fan page is in no way affiliated with the team. According to its “About” page, “Lakers Daily is a subsidiary of Ann Fire Digital” whose goal is to “bring Los Angeles fans together as a nation and community” while providing “up-to-date news” about the organization.

https://x.com/KingJames/status/1842589980503502977

The headline of their report reads: “LeBron James joined the Lakers in part because they handled the final season of Kobe Bryant’s career.” The inspiration comes from an article written by EPSN senior writer Ramona Shelburne on October 4, days after the franchise’s media day. Halfway through the editorial, she wrote: “One reason James joined the Lakers as a free agent in 2018 is the care they showed in the final seasons of Bryant’s career a decade ago, sources said the iconic franchise liked.” as well as the way it treated its iconic players.”

LeBron responded to the tweet with a blue cap emoji and then wrote, “I came to the Lakers because I wanted to help Jeanie win championships, bring the spark back to the Lakers and see my family thrive in Southern California.” Why Should I make a decision about how someone else is treated (?) Mom always said, ‘Stay out of the adult business.'” To date, the athlete who built a billion-dollar empire has four championships won, the last of which was in 2020.

The 2024-2025 NBA season marks the record-setting forward’s 21st year in the league and his sixth with the Lakers. It’s also his first time playing professional basketball with his son, LeBron “Bronny” James Jr. The 19-year-old was selected as a second-round draft pick this summer, making it the first time father and son will play on the same team in league history. He makes his debut after a shortened season with the University of Southern California Trojans.