LeBron James is inching closer to the day when he will hang up his boots and bid farewell to the game. As he is one of the greatest players of all time, it’s worth wondering what kind of honors will be showered upon him post-retirement. Recently, a fan asked Stephen A. Smith on his YouTube show if the Lakers would retire LeBron’s jersey if he ended his career in Los Angeles.
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Stephen A.’s answer to this wasn’t as straightforward as it usually is. The media veteran started by discounting LeBron’s chances of getting his jersey retired in LA. The media veteran mentioned that LeBron has won just one Championship with the Lakers, which is not much of an impact considering the franchise’s rich history.
Therefore, it’s unlikely that the LA side will retire King James’ jersey post-retirement. However, Smith admitted that James deserves the honor in Cleveland and Miami.
The fan asked SAS, “I want to know if LeBron stays with the Lakers and retires in a few years or whenever he does. Does he get a jersey retired in Cleveland, Miami and LA?”
Stephen A. said, “He doesn’t get his jersey retired in LA, it’s the Lakers. He just got one championship. One.”
After further assessment, Stephen A. stated that based off of that one championship and the numerous records he broke wearing the Lakers jersey, he might just get considered for it, but it won’t be as unanimous as in the other two cities.
Smith added, “You could retire LeBron James’ jersey, I can’t rule it out, but if you didn’t retire his jersey in Los Angeles, I don’t think anybody will sneeze at that.”
The ESPN analyst compared the legacy of the players who have had their jersey retired in LA with LeBron. Magic Johnson won five rings, the late, great Kobe Bryant won five rings, Shaquille O’Neal won three rings, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won five rings for the franchise.
So, for LeBron to be next to those legends, he has a weak case right now.
After joining the Lakers in 2018, LeBron hasn’t been able to do much for the franchise. Although he has broken a lot of records in the Lakers jersey, all those feats have been personal milestones. As for his contributions for the franchise, he only has one championship and the inaugural In-Season Tournament win.
In the next couple of seasons that he is expected to play for the Lakers, if LeBron manages to add another ring to his tally, he might just get enough support to have his jersey retired in LA.
