LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers are starting to round into form after a horrendous start to the 2022-23 season, but it will take a) a strong second half and b) a blockbuster trade or two for this team to enter championship contention.
He may have signed a two-year contract extension with the Lakers in the offseason. But if L.A. continues to fall down the standings, questions about James’ future with the organization will pile up again.
But recent comments from James himself should have Lakers fans feeling encouraged. They simply indicate that he is still committed to competing for more rings with Lakers, who sit at 10-14 heading into Thursday.
Here’s what he said following the Lakers’ 116-102 road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers (James’ old team) on Tuesday night, per Joe Vardon and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic:
“I’m still playing at an extremely high level. I’m not out there to (expletive) around. What would I do that for? Me and (Tom) Brady. We’re the same people. We out there for championships.”
After his Cavaliers were swept by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, James decided to take his talents over to Los Angeles and play for the Lakers.
The roster certainly wasn’t championship-caliber at the time, but in 2019, the Lakers made a franchise-changing move by acquiring Anthony Davis in a blockbuster deal with the New Orleans Pelicans.
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In their first year together, Davis and James led Los Angeles to the top seed in the Western Conference. They ran through that side of the bracket in the Orlando bracket and got past the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals to win the franchise its first championship in 10 years.
But things have been sour ever since the organization celebrated that 2020 championship. The Lakers were eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the opening round of the 2021 postseason, and they finished a disappointing 33-49 last year to miss out on the playoffs and the play-in tournament altogether.
James and the Lakers will try to end a mini two-game losing skid when they visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday.
