LeBron James’ contract extension has proven a statement that no matter what the Los Angeles Lakers will be revolving around him for the next few years. In his 20th year, Lebron needs to simply turn up big time after a very difficult last season where the Purple and Gold army missed out on the playoffs.
The new extension have many people wondering if LeBron will be hanging his boots while playing for the Lakers. But anyway he will be one of the best ever to play for the Lakers. But NBA Analyst Tim MacMahon feels he needs to do a lot more than what he has currently done to make this Lakers stint memorable and to be compared with Lakers greats like Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant who have left a legacy at the franchise and will never be forgotten.
The King will play till the 2025 if he opts for the player option so there are possibilities that he will be old enough while finishing his current contract and may hang his boots for the Purple and Gold. He has till now won a single NBA Championship in four years and McMahon feels that is not enough to leave a legacy behind when he has retired.
After a poor first year, LeBron James and Anthony Davis guided the Lakers to the NBA Championship in 2020. But since then the last couple of years have not been great. Last season saw Russell Westbrook joining the Lakers but that did not push their stocks up as he was majorly disappointed and with Anthony Advis getting injured, it was all left on LeBron James and he simply could not take them to the playoffs despite putting up great numbers as they lacked that quality.
MacMahon feels that LeBron will be judged by the number of Championships won during his Lakers tenure. He highlights how people will draw comparisons with Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant who have won many titles with the franchise.
The NBA analyst in his latest podcast, “The Hoops Collective stated, “This is the Lakers. This isn’t the other 29 teams, maybe 28 if you want to subtract the Celtics. This is the Lakers. … You’re talking about no-brainer top-tier Hall of Fame talent to play for the Lakers. It’s not, ‘Hey he won a championship,’ it’s ‘he only won one championship?”
“When you sign up to play for the Lakers, as one of the best players of all time, you sign up for comparisons to Magic (Johnson), you sign up for comparisons to Kobe (Bryant), and so it’s only one championship,” he went on adding.
Injuries an dip in form have been the major reason for their downfall. But with a new coach in Darwin Ham things are supposed to change at the Lakers. However they have not many many important acquisitions apart from Thomas Bryant in the offseason.
