This decision could end up backfiring on the King. LeBron James has just put pen to paper and signed a new 2-year, $97.1M deal to keep him in Los Angeles.
Even though that last year is a player option, I’m not so sure that this was a wise move for LeBron given how awful the Lakers were last season. LA went 33-49 in the Western Conference (the weaker of the two) with LeBron James having the best statical season of his career in scoring.
It takes a really bad-run organization and a great deal of awful team chemistry to not only have a losing season with King James, but also coming in well below .500 (.402).
The Lakers were just that unfathomably bad last season, even though they acquired former league MVP Russell Westbrook and came into the season as the betting favorites for the championship.
Anyway, we all know the Lakers struggles of last season as every media organization in the US covered the topic extensively. You don’t need me to give another retelling.
But what someone may need a reminder on is why LeBron has signed on for another two years, even though he’s a first-ballot hall of famer, 4X NBA champion, 4X league MVP, second in league scoring history, arguably the greatest player of all-time, and a 37-year-old going on 38.
Well, there’s actually two reasons: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring title record and Bronny James Jr.
The first reason, Kareem Abdul-Jabar’s scoring title record, is definitely one of the main priorities as to why LeBron still wants to suit up for another grueling NBA season.
The King is only 1,325 points (LeBron’s Career Tally: 37,062) behind Cap’s 38,387 career tally. With LeBron averaging 30.3 points per game last season, he’ll easily break Abdul-Jabbar’s record if he plays 50 games and puts up another 30ish PPG season.
If he only manages around 25-28 PPG (which is a more reasonable estimate), he’ll get the record in around 60 or so games. Obviously, LeBron is going to break Kareem’s long-standing record and become the new NBA all-time scoring leader.
What’s even more obvious is that once King James breaks that record, his superfans will flaunt that in the face of Michael Jordan superfans as to why LJ is better than MJ (though, I’m sure Lebron James fans will forget that, as of today, Michael Jordan has played 500 less games than the King and is only 5,000 points behind him.)
Nevertheless, the more substantial reason as to why Lebron James is playing for another two more seasons is that he wants to play with his son, Bronny James Jr.
Lebron’s 17-year-old son is currently being recruited by college basketball programs around the US for his upcoming freshman year, so I suspect he’ll be in the league for either the 2024/25 or 2025/26 seasons.
And that is where I find it kind of ridiculous for LeBron James to stick around with the Lakers for another two years (not including this one). This team has not made any significant improvements (aside from the Darwin Ham hiring as head coach) from their disastrous 2021/22 season as the trade talks between the Lakers and Brooklyn Nets for Kyrie Irving have fizzled out completely.
Simply, the Lakers are going to be the same exact team next season. AKA: BAD!
The only reason I can think of Lebron sticking in LA is for his businesses and future Hollywood projects. That’s it.
If I was LeBron, I would play this final season in LA, snatch the scoring title, jump ship to a contending team for a season (maybe the Heat, GSW, or some other contender) while Bronny is learning his craft in college, then sign with whatever team drafted Bronny Jr. for a year.
Seeing as Bronny Jr. is probably going to end up a very late 1st-round pick/early 2nd-round pick given his current college recruitment standing (4-star recruit, Top-50 player), there’s a good chance a contending team will draft Bronny James.
Hopefully that is the case as nobody wants to see King James go to the Oklahoma City Thunder for his final season (no offense OKC fans, your team just isn’t that good).
Regardless, King James has resigned with the Lakers for another two years and is hunting down Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA all-time scoring title. Hopefully, he’ll be able to get it on a night the Lakers are in the Crypto Center.
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