The Los Angeles Lakers and legions of LaLaLand’s basketball fans have (at last) finally scored the biggest fish in this year’s NBA free agency talent pool by getting LeBron James to sign a 4-year deal. LeBron’s decision (thankfully without fanfare this time) to leave his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers for LakerLand seems geared toward positioning James for his post-basketball ambitions as well.
Los Angeles’ basketball legend and current GM, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, had promised his adoring Lakers fans that he would deliver big, and he sure did! Magic’s famous grin must still be beaming after making the biggest deal of this NBA offseason.
The current roster of the Lakers is young. Really young. With the exception of “old” Luol Deng (age 33), the 2018 player roster for the Los Angeles Lakers showed that the remainder of this season’s team was comprised of young hoopsters under the age of 25.
Well, they just got a little older as LeBron James will turn 34 in December.
Where does this leave last year’s “the next can’t miss, greatest player ever” Lakers prospect, Lonzo Ball?”
And, more importantly, how are “The King” and Lonzo’s loudmouth Dad, LaVar Ball, going to get along?
SoCal fans better be watching the seismograph carefully, because the verbal rumblings coming from Mr. BigBallerBrand could cause a series of quakes in this new and improved Lakers team quickly.
Back in March, LeVar Ball already got under LeBron’s skin by suggesting that it would be hard for LBJ’s kids to live up to their Dad’s basketball footprint:
“You got LeBron, it’s going to be hard for his kids because they are going to look at them like, ‘You got to be just like your dad.’ And after a while, that pressure starts sitting on you like, ‘Why do I got to be just like him? What can’t I just be me?’
It’s an interesting comment coming from a man who continues to bask in the spotlight which should have been shining on his own son, Lonzo Ball.
LeBron James quickly shot back at BigMouth Daddy Lavar:
“Keep my kids’ name out of your mouth,” LeBron said. “Keep my family out of your mouth. This is dad to dad. It’s a problem now.”
Ouch!
So why would LeBron James even consider coming to Los Angeles knowing that he would be playing (for now) on the same team as Lonzo Ball and his infamous Dad?
James and Magic Johnson didn’t just agree to this deal over an In-and-Out Burger one day. LeBron would not have made this move unless he (as usual) has all the keys to the car. Magic is a terrific recruiter and promoter. He promised to bring talented players to the Lakers, and he has delivered.
Player management, though, is yet another thing.
Based on the number of coaches and players who have been chewed-up, spit-out, and sent packing by the NBA’s egotistical but talented basketball star, the one thing you can be sure of is that, for the next few years, this will quickly become The LeBron-geles Lakers.
One more thing. If LeBron James orders Magic Johnson to send Lonzo Ball and BigMouth LaVar out of Los Angeles, they will be gone faster than you can say Kareem Abdul Jabbar!