Lance Stephenson was teammates with LeBron James at the Los Angeles Lakers during the King’s first year in Purple and Gold. And while he didn’t bring success immediately to the storied franchise, Stephenson feels they would have, had it not been for a wretched injury.
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Stephenson has largely been a journeyman throughout his basketball career. Understandably, playing with Bron at the Lakers was his highlight. It was also perhaps his only real shot at winning an NBA championship, something he sadly missed out on.
Regardless, Stephenson looks back at sharing the floor with one of the GOATs with pride. Success aside, he revealed that he had a lot of fun playing with Bron and how he made life easier for those on his side. All they had to do was commit and play hard.
The 34-year-old spoke about Bron’s groin injury, which he sustained on Christmas Day in 2018. He went on to miss 17 games, which had a huge dent in the Lakers’ postseason story. Even when James came back, he didn’t really have the same level of explosiveness or impact.
The Lakers, who were once 4th in the Western Conference, finished in 10th, out of the playoffs. “I felt like if he never got hurt, we would have a chance,” Stephenson said on 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony about his missed shot at a championship.
“He was like a coach on the floor,” he added. “That was probably like the easiest person to play with cuz you only had to just do your little role and play hard. He takes all the weight, you just go out there and play…”
Stephenson was at LA for just one season. He left the Indiana Pacers for Hollywood in 2018 and then left the Purple and Gold the very next year. “I had fun the whole year, I got a couple of commercials, and I got in a movie, I ain’t gonna lie, I had fun.”
Rather gut-wrenchingly for Stephenson, the year after he left, the Lakers had a healthy LeBron and newly acquired superstar Anthony Davis, who guided them to a championship win in the bubble. If only he had managed to stay. But such is the cruel reality of life as a rotation player in the NBA.
