LeBron James made a stunning move in 2018 when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers, but from an entertainment standpoint, he had made the best decision.
Advertisement
LA is the city of champions. They’re tied with the Celtics for the most championships all time at 17, and they’ve had legends play for them for a very long time.
Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob McAdoo, George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, James Worthy, Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and now LeBron, have all donned the iconic purple and gold at some point.
LA is one of the NBA’s biggest markets, and playing for them adds a certain aura to any player. LeBron James had played for Cleveland most of his career, and Miami for some time, but none of those cities have the media attention that LA does.
Every game is special, and everyone is so captivated by whoever’s playing at the Staples Center. So, when LeBron joined in 2018, there was a lot of intrigue around his move.
💾 Loading… Saison 20!!!@KingJames | @Lakers pic.twitter.com/6qySLCzNoj
— NBA Germany (@NBA_de) August 29, 2022
LeBron James’ move to Los Angeles had Denzel Washington on the phone with his accountant
LeBron James shifting to LA was a massive deal. The Lakers hadn’t been competitive in a long time, and they had entered full rebuild mode after Kobe’s retirement in 2016.
Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram were the new faces of the squad, but they were young and inexperienced. Signing LeBron did help the Lakers a lot, but there was still some work to do before they were proper championship contenders. LeBron inked a four-year, $154 million deal with LA.
Famous Hollywood actor Denzel Washington is a fan of the Lakers, and when he heard the news about LeBron joining LA, he made sure that he had tickets to the games.
Supposedly, Denzel immediately called his accountant to make sure that he hadn’t sold his season tickets so that he had the best viewing experience to witness the King.
