In 2018, LeBron James left Cleveland to start the third chapter of his career and joined the Los Angeles Lakers.
Six years on, James has achieved great results. He was a six-time All-Star and led the Lakers to the fourth championship of his career. Wearing the purple and gold, he also achieved a number of milestones, including reaching the top of the NBA's all-time scoring list.
However, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks and Dave McMenamin, despite all the accomplishments, James has "privately wondered" whether Lakers fans will fully embrace him. The ESPN report notes that James has such doubts because he has been playing against Lakers legend Kobe Bryant on the court for years.
Most recently, James surpassed 40,000 career points, a feat that has never been done before — and perhaps never since. Lakers fans surrounded the superstar with their love and support, and James was deeply moved.
With a lot of respect for the Lakers fans, thank you for the love and loyalty," James said, "It's great to be the first person in league history to do something." ”
No matter how you rank them, James and Kobe Bryant have gone down as some of the greatest players in NBA history.
Between 2003 and 2016, the two faced each other several times, but never played on the same team or in the same division. Bryant played for the Lakers for 20 years, while James didn't join the Western Conference until Bryant retired.
James and Kobe Bryant have played 22 times in his career, winning 16 of them. In those 22 meetings, most of the stats were also skewed in James' favor.
Although the two have had a great head-to-head meeting, they have never met in the finals. Many had expected to see their Finals matchup in the 2009 NBA playoffs, when the Lakers reached the Finals for the second consecutive season, but James' Cavaliers lost to the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals.
In 2010, Bryant returned to the Finals, but the Cavaliers lost to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
James joined the Heat at the end of the 2009-10 season, but during James' four seasons in Miami, Bryant never made it past the Western Conference semifinals.
Here's how the two compare in terms of achievements and accolades so far:
Does James get a statue of the Lakers?
James will almost certainly get a statue of Cleveland, and Miami will probably have a statue of him as well. He spent nine seasons with the Cavaliers, bringing them their first NBA championship and winning two championships with the Heat in four seasons.
While James is most likely to be remembered as a player for the Cavaliers or the Heat, he could end up playing longer with the Lakers.
James is currently in his sixth season with the Lakers, and he has a player option for the 2024-25 season. If he chooses to renew his contract, James will enter his eighth season with the Lakers, surpassing his record of seven straight seasons with the Cavaliers before joining the Heat in 2010.
Naturally, given his status in the NBA and what he's accomplished with the Lakers, some are starting to wonder if James will get a statue of the Lakers as well.
On "Nightcap," First Take's Shannon Sharpe asked Gilbert Arenas what he thought about the matter, and the former NBA All-Star said that if James' career ends now, "absolutely not."
He didn't get enough accolades with the Lakers," Arenas said, "and the closest thing to a statue is probably O'Neal." O'Neal played for eight years and won three championships. So, to erect a statue of him in Los Angeles, six years of play, more than 8,000 points, a championship and six All-Star appearances are not enough. ”
What do you think about this?