LeBron James is one of the greatest players of all time, but he has also faced a whole lot of criticism over the years. In addition to criticism for his on-court failings, James has also been criticized for being a “shadow GM” of the teams he is on.
James has been accused of strong-arming front offices into making certain roster changes and has earned the infamous “LeGM” nickname. There is seemingly some relief among Los Angeles Lakers fans that the team no longer has to deal with a player looking to influence roster decisions, but Derek Fisher thinks all of this is greatly overblown.
Fisher, who spent 12 and a half seasons with the Lakers, was asked about the “LeGM” talk on his D-Fish & Decker show, and he wasn’t buying it.
“I don’t see it that way,” Fisher said. “… You guys think that Luka [Doncic] is not involved in the decisions now?”
It was then brought up that James had the Lakers bring in Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, and his son, Bronny James. He had influence, and while Fisher appeared to acknowledge that, he pointed out that Luka Doncic got what he wanted this summer.
“Luka said he want a A-list center,” Fisher said. “What just happened?”
Doncic reportedly wanted an A-list center, and the Lakers have landed Walker Kessler via a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz. They went all-in, too, as the Jazz got two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps for Kessler. The Lakers also gave the big man a four-year, $130 million deal. They did all that to ensure Doncic remains happy.
“Luka’s tenure has only been 16 months,” Fisher said. “… So now he said, ‘This is what I want.’ What did they go do?… What’s the difference? Help me understand the difference.”
There might be minor differences, but it is basically the same. There was chatter about the Lakers being at risk of losing Doncic in free agency in 2028 if they don’t put a championship-contending roster around him. This was kind of what we heard with regards to James for years, too.
“I don’t work for Klutch Sports or LeBron,” Fisher said. “They’re not paying me anything. I’m just making sure that there’s facts involved in these conversations and not just feelings.”
Most superstars in the NBA have moves they’d want their front offices to make. If those aren’t made and the team isn’t meeting expectations, there is always the threat of that big name leaving. That’s the leverage superstars have.
Now, one might argue that James and his agent, Rich Paul, CEO of Klutch Sports Group, were doing a bit too much, but Fisher doesn’t think they did anything wrong.
“The best player in the world that we’ve seen over the last 20 years played for the team and significantly drove the franchise value of the team to the point where it was sold for $10 billion,” Fisher said. “Which would not have happened if what had happened over the last 8 years since he’s been here. So why wouldn’t they be involved in some of the decision-making? But then we’re using that as a way to say, ‘That’s what the problem was.’
Mark Walter purchased a majority stake in the Lakers at a $10 billion valuation in 2025. The team’s value would have gone up a lot even without James’ arrival in 2018, but not up to this point.
As for whether James was the problem for the Lakers during his eight seasons there, that might be a stretch. There are definitely things the 41-year-old could have done better, but he was the biggest positive when it came to the team for much of his tenure.
Now that he’s gone, Draymond Green believes the Lakers will feel James’ absence more than they think. The 22-time All-Star is a huge presence on and off the court, and it will be interesting to see what this new era looks like.
