Many Los Angeles Lakers fans feel the team has no hope of contending for the NBA championship any time soon, and that the only thing to look forward to next season is LeBron James potentially surpassing Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the league’s all-time leading scorer.
According to Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times, the organization is hoping that if the four-time MVP does so next season, it will be a big, illustrious event.
Via Lakers Daily:
“Plaschke appeared on “The Doug Gottlieb Show” and indicated that when James inevitably breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record, the Lakers will pull out all the stops to make the veteran superstar happy.
“‘They’re hoping for a Kobe-like retirement game when LeBron breaks Kareem’s record next year,’ Plaschke said. ‘They’re hoping that LeBron can carry his star power for two more years. They want to make LeBron happy, and they’re gonna do whatever it takes to make him happy.'”
Making sure that James is happy is not exactly a bad idea. Since he has one year left on his contract, it’s something the organization should do as long as he continues to play at a high level and is lucky enough to avoid any significant injuries.
However, the main thing, as always, for the Lakers is competing for championships, and if they aren’t competitive in 2023, James breaking Abdul-Jabbar’s record will likely feel empty for fans of the Purple and Gold.
