SUMMARY
- LeBron James recently became the first player in history to reach 40,000 career points and despite this he doubts winning LA Lakers over fans because of the fandom of the late Kobe Bryant.
- As per Fox Sports analyst Doug Gottlieb, Bryant in 2018 expressed that he believes James was not built for the franchise.
LeBron James is undeniably among the most decorated players in the league. Despite being the oldest player in the NBA, even his recent achievements and performances have been nothing less than extraordinary. Recently, he became the first player in history to reach 40,000 career points and left everyone impressed. However, even after this, James doubts winning LA Lakers over fans because of the fandom of the late Kobe Bryant.
Notably, James and Bryant’s impact on the NBA and LA Lakers’ history has been undeniable. Black Mamba played in the league for 20 seasons, all of which he spent with the Los Angeles-based franchise. During this, he built an impressive resume with five rings, 18 All-Star Games, 9x All-Defensive 1st Team, and much more. His unfortunate death in a helicopter crash remains the darkest day for the basketball community.
On the other hand, James is currently in his 21st season in the league and 6th season with the Lakers. During his storied career, King James represented three teams and has broken and made unbreakable records. He has four NBA Championship Titles to his name, won one NBA Cup, 2x Olympic Gold Medals, etc. He is leading the NBA’s all-time top scorer list with over 40,000 career points.
Recently, ESPN‘s Bobby Marks and Dave McMenamin revealed that James is privately questioning whether he will be able to win LA Lakers’ fans. They wrote, “After witnessing him battle their beloved Kobe Bryant for so long, James has privately questioned whether Laker Nation would ever fully embrace him.” In addition to this, they revealed that James acknowledged the way the fans and the franchise showed up for him.
Kobe Bryant allegedly said that LeBron James is not built for LA Lakers
Kobe Bryant had already retired by the time LeBron James joined the LA Lakers. However, as per Fox Sports analyst Doug Gottlieb, Bryant in 2018 expressed that he believes James was not built for the franchise. He revealed that he was having drinks with the late basketball player at Javier’s and the two discussed that James was coming to the town as his contract was signed by then.
Doug Gottlieb once, allegedly, spoke to Kobe Bryant about LeBron James joining the Los Angeles Lakers.
Gottlieb claims these were some quotes from Kobe…
“LeBron is not built for LA.”
“He doesn’t get, know, or understand LA.”
“He’s not the killer that me and Mike are.… pic.twitter.com/CQei8NYWfn
— NBA Buzz (@OfficialNBABuzz) November 19, 2023
“And he said to me unequivocally, ‘LeBron does not get, know, or understand LA, and he’s not built for it the way I’m built for it’, Gottlieb added. According to him, Bryant continued to explain that negativity fueled him to do better as he gave examples of his two airballs and negativity for him and Shaquille O’Neal. “That’s not what fuels LeBron. He’s just built differently,” Bryant allegedly stated.
Gilbert Arenas claims LeBron James shouldn’t get a statue at the LA Lakers
LeBron James is currently 39 years old and while his energy on the court has only got better since his first NBA game, he will have to eventually retire. He will likely play his last season with the LA Lakers and this will also be his longest stint with a franchise. His current contract will expire after the next season 2024-25 and as per Bobby Marks, James will become the first player in NBA history to surpass the $500 million threshold.
Furthermore, the question that might come into the minds of his fans is whether he will get an LA Lakers statue for his commendable achievements. Recently, First Take’s Shannon Sharpe asked the same to Gilbert Arenas. He responded, “If his career stopped right now. Hell No,” and stated that James doesn’t hasn’t won a lot in the Lakers uniform and he is not good enough for the LA Lakers statue as he has spent only six seasons with the franchise.