According to LeBron James, he has had to prove his worth to Lakers fans all over again. He says they hold their players to higher standards than any other team.
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Since signing with the Lakers as a free agent in 2018, the burgeoning number of Lakers fans has only demonstrated The King’s popularity.
He remains the most powerful active sports figure in America, capable of changing the fortune of entire franchises in his wake. LeBron is a whole industry unto himself. He’s actually underpaid given his value to the league, according to many
Why LeBron has had to prove his mettle with the Lakers fans
A fanbase that spent the best part of 10 years downplaying his accomplishments found it a bit hard to find LeBron James on its side.
Indeed, in their attempt to glorify Kobe’s legacy, many Lakers fans had turned into vitriolic Bron haters. There was a big wave of them initially, but their voices were drowned out soon enough.
Asked LeBron what he’s learned about being a Laker in the past 2.5 years. “The Laker faithful don’t give a damn about what you’ve done before. … Until you’ve done it with them.” True.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) October 8, 2020
A mural of LeBron James on a wall in the city was disfigured during his early days in town.
It was the harsh wake-up call that LeBron didn’t want – to realize that he wasn’t universally adulated as he would have wanted. He set about trying to change his impression in front of the Lakers fans, and the Mamba praise kept growing in bunches and rolling off his tongue.
Now that he’s poised to win the franchise’s record-tying 17th title, LA fans will definitely accept him with open arms.
