LOS ANGELES – In a recent expose by ESPN’s Baxter Holmes chronicling the sale of the Los Angeles Lakers, it was suggested that Jeanie Buss did not have complete appreciation for LeBron James amid his Lakers tenure. Buss has since disputed that part of the article, and prior to the Lakers’ game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, head coach JJ Redick admitted that he’s seen nothing but appreciation from the franchise towards it’s star.
“I’ve been here for two years, everybody in this organization appreciates LeBron and appreciates what he’s done for the Lakers. He’s carried on the legacy, and also, truthfully, the burden of being a superstar for the Los Angeles Lakers for eight years,” Redick said.
“And he’s done it with class. And personally, I can speak to it. I’ve enjoyed coaching him at the highest level, like 10 out of 10,” Redick continued. “That’s not to say we don’t have our disagreements, but I know with that guy, he’s going to put everything into this. And it’s been awesome to coach.”
The Lakers originally acquired James as a free agent in the 2018 offseason. James has spent eight seasons with the franchise now, and helped lead the team to a championship in 2020. Since then, the Lakers have only been out of the opening round of the playoffs once, and missed the postseason completely in 2021-22.
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However, a lot of the lack of playoff success following the title run stems from the Lakers radically altering their roster from the balanced group in 2020.
James has continued to play at an elite, All-NBA level, and he became the league’s all-time leading scorer while in a Lakers uniform. Amid an unprecedented 23rd NBA season, James currently holds a streak of 21 consecutive years of being named to an All-NBA team.
He’s appeared in 25 games so far after shaking off an early-season nerve injury, and he’s playing a little over 33 minutes per game. James is averaging 22.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.0 steals with splits of 51 percent shooting from the field, 33.3 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 74 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
This upcoming offseason will be a crucial one for James, however. He opted in to his contract for this season, and he is set to hit unrestricted free agency as this is the final year of his current deal. While speculation runs rampant, there has been no word from James himself as to how long he wants to continue playing.