For the first time since inking a 4-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James spoke publicly about his decision to leave Cleveland and what drew him to the young Lakers team.
In a sit-down interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, James discussed the teams that he considered joining in free agency. Despite recent reports that James knew he wanted to join the Lakers, the three-time champion says he considered several teams outside of Los Angeles.
.@KingJames tells @Rachel__Nichols why he decided to join the Lakers over a team that might have been closer to winning a championship. pic.twitter.com/sbelK3pGJg
— ESPN (@espn) July 30, 2018
“I definitely thought long and hard about the possibility of a lineup alongside Ben [Simmons] and [Joel] Embiid or a lineup beside [James] Harden and Chris [Paul],” James said. “Obviously the Lakers haven’t made the playoffs in a few years but the Lakers organization and the historical franchise matches up there with all the greats.”
The Lakers haven’t made the playoffs since 2013 but the franchise’s historic victories far outweigh the recent troubles. Even more so now with Magic Johnson and Jeanie Buss at the helm, the Lakers are one of the more promising up-and-coming teams in the league. James said that the Lakers’ history are part of what drew him to the team.
“You could look at the Cowboys and the Patriots, you can look at Manchester United or the Boston Celtics,” James said. “These are like franchises and for me to be a part of that, it’s just a great moment for not only me but for my family and for the history of basketball in general.”
James’ historic decision was remnant of his 2010 decision to join the Miami Heat, a team that had potential but hadn’t yet reached the NBA Finals. Although the Lakers did not have the same star power when James decided to join them, James said that the challenge of brining the team back to the Lakers is what drew him there.
“Just like when I went to Miami, everyone kind of looks at me joining a super team but if people looks at it, I think Miami was 35-47 the year before I joined that team…I like the challenge,” he said. “I like the challenge of being able to help a team get to some places that they haven’t been in a while.”
The season before James joined the Heat, the team actually posted a 47-35 record but last season’s Lakers posted a 35-47 record. Based on the records of the two teams, James seems to be joining a team farther from success than he did when he joined the Heat but the Lakers are still young and haven’t yet reached their potential.
Now with James on the team, the Lakers have some heavy expectations to meet.
Featured Image via: Flickr/Keith Allison
