He wore this country to gold.
But he might not be able to carry it the lakers in the playoffs?
He was the leader of the team that beat the best in the world.
But he might not be able to lead the Lakers past the Memphis Grizzlies?
The dilemma faced LeBron James and the team that can’t bring him a championship became abundantly clear this summer when one of the shining moments of James’ career only made Los Angeles sigh.
What a greatness. What a waste.
What a gift. What a waste.
The rest of the world marveled when James, 39, led Team USA to a fifth consecutive gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
Meanwhile, his city grimaced and wondered: Why can’t he do this for us?
The rest of the world had rarely seen anything like it, with James earning Olympic MVP honors by unleashing his incredible, time-tested skills in six breathtaking victories, leading the team in minutes, rebounds and assists.
Meanwhile, his city just grimaced and thought, “Yes, we’ve seen these kinds of big explosions from him before, but he’s running out of steam without help. Where’s the help?”
During a summer where The Dodgers As they prepared for another tough playoff run, the Lakers once again stole the show by setting themselves up for another deep embarrassment.
If they cannot contend for the title in what are surely the final two seasons of James’s storied career, then his time here will have represented the greatest wasted opportunity in Los Angeles sports history.
Worse than the Kings failing to win a Stanley Cup with Wayne Gretzky. Worse than the Clippers destroying Lob City. Worse than USC failing to play for a national title with Caleb Williams. And, yes, even worse than the Dodgers winning those 10 division championships with only one short-season title to show for it.
It would be a LeBron-sized failure, to see the greatest player in history wear one of the winningest uniforms in history during some of the best moments in his personal history…and never win a full championship.
Yes, they won the title with him in 2020, but as the years go by, that bubble bursts more and more into reality: This was an abnormal, abbreviated schedule that perfectly favored an aging star like LeBron. All of that was admirable, but some of it doesn’t feel real.
The hard truth is that since LeBron arrived six seasons ago, they’ve only been to one short-season NBA Finals, just two Western Conference Finals and a whole bunch of early summers.
That’s why this space has repeatedly called for James to be traded — so they can end his suffocating grip on the organization and allow them to breathe again, rebuild again, win again.
Of course, that’s not what’s happening. We saw that clearly this summer, when James was given yet another chance to ask to leave or leave and did neither, signing a two-year, $101 million guaranteed deal that will likely take him the rest of his career here.
Even LeBron’s most ardent skeptics must eventually admit that he’s not going away.
This means the Lakers should do whatever it takes to make his stay worthwhile.
Do it quickly. Do it permanently. Don’t do it for him—I have four rings—but for yourself, for your history, for your legacy.
Rob Pelinka, this space hereby promises not to scam you for any hard moves you make in an effort to save LeBron’s final years.
Want to trade fan favorite Austin Reaves? Go ahead. Want to trade troubled D’Angelo Russell? Do it. Rui Hachimura? Gone. Jarred Vanderbilt? Gone.
Two future first-round draft picks in 2029 and 2031? It’s done and done.
Anthony Davis? Well, OK, not Anthony Davis, at least not now. He is obviously the second element of the Lakers’ Big Three, a trio essential to compete for the title, a triumvirate that is missing one player.
Find that player, but don’t sacrifice Davis, who also had a memorable Olympics, carrying the team with James at one point and setting up a humiliating narrative.
American Anthony Davis dunks over Frenchman Bilal Coulibaly during the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
Two Lakers shined in the conquest of a gold medal, but their real team might not even be able to steal a playoff game?
It’s not that Pelinka hasn’t tried. He just needs to try harder. After a failed summer in which the only acquisitions were a mediocre defensive back, a baby Nepo and a head coach who never coached, he needs to do better.
Pelinka set the organization back when he ripped the heart out of the 2020 championship team by trading or losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso and Kyle Kuzma.
He backed down again when he listened to LeBron and acquired Russell Westbrook.
He seemed to save himself two seasons ago when he took the Lakers out of Westbrook and added key pieces that led the team to the Western Conference Finals.
But those pieces — Hachimura, Russell, Vanderbilt — all struggled to produce an encore last season as Lakers fans complained about the young star who should have been there.
Yeah, Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s absence from the draft also counts against Pelinka.
You see where this is going, don’t you?
LeBron carried Team USA. Now Pelinka has to carry LeBron.
It’s going to be tough because nobody likes to trade with the Lakers, and apparently nobody wants to play for the Lakers.
How the hell? Klay Thompson Turn down more money and a ride home to sign with the Dallas Mavericks instead? That’s because he didn’t think those Lakers could win. Honestly, no one thinks those Lakers can win.
Every preseason poll has them near the bottom of the Western Conference and unable to qualify for the play-in tournament. And look, every preseason prognosticator will point to LeBron’s brilliant Olympics and come to the same conclusion.
What a shame. What a loss. What are the Lakers doing?
