Although LeBron James aligned with Magic Johnson last summer and signed up to be on a team built in Magic’s vision, some early season comments by Johnson rubbed James the wrong way.
Specifically, it was a statement that Johnson made amid questions about the Lakers early in the season in which he said that he didn’t want LeBron’s role to be like ‘Cleveland all over again.’ In an exhaustive report on the Lakers season by The Athletic’s Bill Oram, James’ feelings on that statement were revealed for the first time.
“I didn’t like that when I heard it, because, I mean, four straight Finals,” James told The Athletic earlier this season.
Obviously, James was mostly quiet on the subject for most of the season as he tried to lead the Lakers to the postseason. However, this latest anecdote is just another example of the various disconnects within the Lakers organization.
Few athletes can say they leverage their power and influence like LeBron James, but there have already been plenty of things going on within the Lakers during his short time with them that appear to be out of his control.
