After the great Kobe Bryant, is LeBron James next on the jersey retirement line for the Lakers?

The Los Angeles Lakers have had some star players of the years – LeBron James probably being the finest amongst all of them.

LeBron James and Wilt Chamberlain – two players who came to the city of Angels as the Devil in disguise. Both of them had their agendas, but ended up with a successful stint with the Lakers, debatably. Wilt came to the southwest coast while his powers were waning, but still managed 4/5 finals appearances. He won one title with them, and the only other time they missed the finals, they made the Western Conference finals.

Bron on the other hand has had ebbs and flows. Missed the playoffs the first season as a Laker, and won the title the next. And then two years of slowly sliding down the rankings of the west, not even making the play-in last year. While as a team they suffered, as an individual he’s been great. That does not put him in line for jersey retirement, no. He has not done more than Pau Gasol or Derek Fisher for the team to have his name up there with Kobe Bryant.

LeBron will have been with the Lakers for half a decade come next July. The Lakers drained their coffers to offer the king what he wanted, yet he remains displeased. They may be purple and gold, but LeBron is no King Midas. Not everything he’s touched has turned to gold. There is more coal than Au in 4 years. Neither 23 nor 6 deserve to go up the rafters – for one what will the kids wear if everyone gets their jersey retired? 69?

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LeBron James is a mercenary – he may have played only for 3 teams in his life, but the way he exits leaves fans acrimonious

Cleveland Cavaliers have had a fairy tale ending with LeBron James only his second stint with them. The first time around, fans were burning his jerseys, because of the way he left. It was the first big televised announcement of signing with a team, and the fans were flabbergasted where he chose to go. If he did not win a title on his return, his exit to the Lakers would have been met with the same amount of contempt.

Bron is known to build a team hyper-specific to his needs. He does not bother about the future of a team, it is win or nothing always. Look at the Cavs after he left twice. Because they did not have the right picks, or the players to survive after his departure, they had to tank repeatedly. Miami took almost 6 years to get back to the level they were with him.

The Los Angeles Lakers currently are in a similar situation. The only picks they have right now are so far away, that they don’t even matter at this point. The people who they can pick with those two tickets don’t even have a moustache yet. Since there is no feeling of belonging in any team, what happens after he leaves does not matter. Stephen Curry or Damian Lillard aren’t this way, they know their team needs better than anyone.

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