When it comes to LeBron James’ Lakers legacy, Angelenos have no one to blame but themselves
- US News
- World News
- Page Six
- Sports
- Post Sports+
- Sports Betting
- Business
- Opinion
- Entertainment
- Shopping
- Lifestyle
- Health
- Real Estate
- Alexa
- Media
- Tech
- Science
- Astrology
- Video
- Photos
- Pod Force One
- NY POSTcast
Switch between CA and NY editions here.
Edition- Sports
- Sports Plus
- Sports Betting
- Columnists
- NFL
- MLB
- NBA
- World Cup
- NHL
- NCAAB
- WNBA
- NWSL
- PWHL
- NCAAF
- Sports Entertainment
- Golf
- Tennis
- Wrestling
- MMA
- Soccer
- Olympics
- NBA
- New York Knicks
- Brooklyn Nets
- Scores
- Stats
- Standings
- Teams
- Players
- Odds
- Injuries
- Transactions
- Drafts
Recommended
Skip to main content
Melissa Rohlin
NBAWhen it comes to LeBron James’ Lakers legacy, Angelenos have no one to blame but themselves
By Melissa Rohlin Published July 1, 2026, 11:11 a.m. ETSee more of our coverage in your search results.
Add The California Post on GoogleTo understand LeBron James’ legacy with the Lakers, you have to rewind to the beginning.
You know, the period Lakers fans may have blocked out.
It was dismal. It was ugly. It was dark.
6
The 17-time NBA champions had plunged into their worst chapter in franchise history, missing the playoffs five straight seasons. During the slide, Lakers governor Jeanie Buss fired her older brother, Jim Buss, as the executive vice president of basketball operations and Mitch Kupchak as general manager.
The team was rudderless.
Then the guy who’s in a one-horse race with Michael Jordan for the greatest player of all-time decided to come to LA in free agency in 2018, breathing new life into a flailing franchise as though he were inflating a withered balloon.
More From Melissa Rohlin
How LeBron James’ longest NBA marriage resulted in divorce
Warriors master offseason plan includes LeBron James and Anthony Davis
Lakers need LeBron James, and he needs them. It’s time to get deal done
James was the NBA’s “it” guy.
He had just carried the Heat and Cavaliers to eight straight Finals, winning three championships. And he chose to bring his talents to LA, joining a bunch of young guys who couldn’t even scrounge their way into the first round of the playoffs.
That changed everything.
6
After one injury-riddled season that included James missing 17 straight games and eventually being shutdown after it became clear they weren’t going to make the playoffs, things dramatically shifted.
James recruited Anthony Davis to the Lakers in 2019. In his second season with the Lakers, he led them to their first championship in a decade in 2020.
During that time, it’s not hyperbolic to say that James was Los Angeles’ north star
Explore More
Mother of NFL star found dead inside Atlanta home, his brother charged with murder
Bobby Bonilla Day reaches Year 16 as hapless Mets pay him another $1.19 million
LeBron James’ incredibly sneaky tactic to protect son’s future before blockbuster Lakers decision
In January 2020, Kobe Bryant tragically died in a helicopter crash alongside his daughter, Gianna, and eight others.
James helped mend a brokenhearted city.
He got a tattoo of a Black Mamba in honor of Bryant, who spent all 20 seasons of his career with the Lakers, leading them to five championships. In the Lakers’ first game after Bryant’s death, James took the microphone and addressed the nearly 20,000 fans at Staples Center as he choked back tears, calling Lakers Nation a family.
Eight months later, he was hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy, honoring Los Angeles’ hero in the only way that would’ve meant something to him: Making the Lakers champions again.
6
James spent eight seasons in Los Angeles, his longest consecutive stretch anywhere.
The Lakers made the playoffs in six of them. James made mistakes, such as helping convince the Lakers to break up their championship core to acquire Russell Westbrook in 2021, a disaster which led the team missing the postseason in 2022.
But ahead of the 2022 trade deadline, he also played a hand in forcing Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka to deal Westbrook and acquire six new players, which led to them reaching the 2023 Western Conference Finals against the Nuggets, who were the eventual champions.
Sign up for the California Morning Report newsletter
California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.
Thanks for signing up!
During his time in Los Angeles, James became the league’s all-time leading scorer. He shattered nearly every record in the book for a player his age each season. He made the Lakers consistently one of the most interesting stories in the league.
He was the biggest draw in a city that has Hollywood.
Lakers games would regularly be filled with A-list celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, Denzel Washington, Justin Beiber and Jay-Z . James had the top-selling jersey in the league five straight seasons from 2019-2023.
James made the Lakers fun. He made them interesting. With James, the Lakers were always a championship threat.
6
Even after the Lakers stunned the basketball word by acquiring Luka Doncic in Feb. 2025 in exchange for Davis, James was willing to do anything it took to win, including becoming the team’s third option.
After embracing a role that no other player of his caliber had accepted when they could still be a star, he helped the Lakers go on a 16-2 run last spring. Then after Doncic and Austin Reaves suffered injuries in April, James put the Lakers on his arthritic back and carried them past the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.
James’ tenure in Los Angeles deserves to be celebrated.
He resuscitated the organization. He made them relevant again. He put the glitz and glamour back into a franchise that relied on those things as their oxygen.
6
By the end of his career, pundits and columnists were clamoring for the Lakers to move on without James.
The Lakers were Doncic’s team. James was an expensive distraction who had commanded $52.6 million last season, and would demand at least another $25-$35 million if he re-signed for another run.
But when James pulled the plug on his Lakers tenure on Tuesday, suddenly the tone felt very different.
The city felt dimmer.
The Lakers’ title hopes felt farther away without a guy who had won four championships and never missed a playoff game over his 23-year-career. Even though James is about to play in his unprecedented 24th season and turn 42, he’s still the biggest story in the NBA.
6
Los Angeles just got a lot less interesting.
It’s our loss.
Really, it’s our fault.
Angelenos never quite adored James in the same way they idolized Bryant and Magic Johnson, both of whom spent their entire careers with the Lakers. James never interwove himself into the fabric of the colorful city, becoming a permanent piece of its tapestry.
Why? Because he won championships elsewhere? Because the Lakers weren’t the ones who drafted him?
While Bryant and Johnson were venerated as Los Angeles’ heroes at the end of their time with the Lakers, James was practically shown the front door.
Our mistake.
James did so much for the city.
May you like
And only now that he’s gone are we going to realize how much we miss him.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Post Opinion
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!
California Post App: Download here!
Home delivery: Sign up here!
Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!
Filed under Read Next Knicks center leaves for rival in NBA free agency
Trending Now in Sports
-
This story has been shared 30,506 times.
30,506
Mother of NFL star found dead inside Atlanta home, his brother charged with murder
-
This story has been shared 20,579 times.
20,579
Bobby Bonilla Day reaches Year 16 as hapless Mets pay him another $1.19 million
-
This story has been shared 18,188 times.
18,188
LeBron James’ incredibly sneaky tactic to protect son’s future before blockbuster Lakers decision
-
This story has been shared 12,085 times.
12,085
Red Sox slugger ejected for second straight game in fiery brawl scene
-
This story has been shared 11,053 times.
11,053
Steve Cohen makes declaration about embattled Mets GM’s job status as team’s season spirals
Columnists
-
Jon Heyman
Cy Young winner’s future isn’t in Detroit — but where he will land at trade deadline is an open question
-
Mark Cannizzaro
Inside the money and ‘Miracle’ influence behind Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT transformation
-
Joel Sherman
How the Mets can transform their outlook going into MLB’s minefield offseason
See All Columnists
Scoreboard
Image gallery
More Stories
Page Six
Exact schedule of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s 10-hour MSG wedding revealed
Decider
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Louis C.K.: Ridiculous’ On Netflix, The Comedian Slowly, Crudely, Comes To Grip With The Inevitability Of Mortality
NYPost
Long Island music teacher rapes, strangles sister-in-law he lusted over for years with wife out of town: prosecutors
© 2026 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved Terms of Use Subscription Terms Privacy Notice SitemapYour California Privacy Rights
