The expectations are much higher this season for the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James this season after making the blockbuster trade of nearly all of their young players to the New Orleans Pelicans for superstar big man Anthony Davis. But even though expectations are heightened, at least one Lakers legend doesn’t think they need to win a championship for their season to be deemed a success.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times that the Lakers season would be a success if they make a good playoff run and once again said that LeBron James doesn’t have anything left to prove on the basketball court.
“If he plays well and the team is contending and in the playoffs and advancing late in the playoffs, that should be enough,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone, but Lakers fans are still hungry and that’s a good sign. They want to win and they want to support the team.”
Kareem has been very supportive of LeBron and has probably been the former Laker that has supported him the most since his move to L.A.
Of course, the Lakers will have plenty of tough teams to face in the Western Conference. But even though Lakers fans may compare LeBron to the players who delivered championships in the past, Kareem is right that they are desperate for something positive to cheer about. Their first playoff run in seven years would do just that.
