LeBron James shined at the Paris Olympics, leading Team USA to gold with a remarkable performance. King James was the oldest player on the roster, yet he dominated, leading the team in points, rebounds, and assists. However, as the new NBA season approaches, the question remains: Can The King defy Father Time once more and lead the Lakers to glory before his legendary career winds down?
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The host of SiriusXM NBA Radio, Antonio Daniels spoke about the expectations from LeBron and the Lakers this upcoming season. Given that he is about to enter the 22nd season of his long, illustrious career, Daniels believes the clock is ticking faster than ever for him.
“Any team that has LeBron James, especially at this point of his career, is make or break. That’s unavoidable, that’s unavoidable. It’s championship or bust. You can’t keep looking forward to… Next year. That’s not gonna happen. When it’s LeBron and you’re involved, your involvement with LeBron, you automatically put yourself in that championship or bust situation.”
“It’s championship or bust.”
@adaniels33 believes the pressure is on for the Lakers this upcoming season. pic.twitter.com/FsZhhHAYsj
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) August 15, 2024
For the past 20 seasons, James has been selected to play in every All-Star game while also making it into an All-NBA Team each year. But Daniels believes the Lakers are now in an ‘All or nothing’ type of situation due to their star forward.
Granted that James is yet to show any concerning declines in his game, there is always the possibility that fans might be witnessing his twilight years.
James’ last championship came during the 2020 NBA Bubble where he led the Lakers to the 1st seed in the West. Since then, LA has struggled to reach the top bracket of the West, leading to playoff disappointments in the postseason.
Now, even though ‘The Akron Hammer’ can put up big numbers on any given night, his age is bound to affect certain aspects of his performance on the court. And it would be foolish for the Lakers not to use whatever James has left in his tank to pursue another title.
And with the Lakers front office pulling the trigger on hiring an inexperienced Redick as the team’s new head coach, the expectations are even higher.
Redick sits on the LA hot seat
The Lakers decided to hire JJ Redick as the team’s new head coach for the upcoming season. It was never officially stated by anyone whether JJ’s podcast with Bron played a role in the hiring or not. But regardless of how Redick got the job, the pressure is on to win a title right away.
A few weeks ago, NFL legend Shannon Sharpe pointed out that the pressure is now on the Lakers to win a title, especially after Boston’s recent championship.
“If you’re the head coach of the Lakers or the Celtics, the expectation is a championship. The Lakers have been to 32 finals, they have won 17… When you coach the Purple & Gold, the expectations are through the roof.”
With the Western Conference turning into a cesspool of younger and better talent, can Redick and Bron pull off one last run to cement whatever corners are left in The King’s legacy?
