If only LeBron James’ legacy with the Los Angeles Lakers centered on whether he helped them win an NBA championship or not.
Instead, Lakers fans do not solely view that as the only purple and gold standard. Some value James’ role with helping them win the 2020 NBA championship. Some harp on two first-round exits and two missed playoff appearances. Some embraced James for ending the Lakers’ worst stretch in franchise history. Some never warmed to him the same way they did to Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant.
After helping the Lakers to various NBA title runs in different eras, Metta Sandiford-Artest (2010), Robert Horry (2000-02), and Mychal Thompson (1987-88) remain aware of both James’ contributions to the Lakers and how their fanbase views them. In interviews with Fadeaway World, all three remained adamant about a few things. They understood James’ decision not to retire as a Laker. They still argued that James has a strong Lakers legacy. They all agreed that James should have his jersey retired.
Editor’s note: The following interviews were conducted separately. They have all been edited and condensed.
What do you make of LeBron leaving the Lakers?
Sandiford-Artest: “I didn’t know what he would do. I didn’t give it any thought because I know that teams are trying to win now. Everybody is repositioning. LeBron is repositioning himself to get into the playoffs. The Lakers are trying to reposition themselves to get into the playoffs. This is the best basketball that I’ve ever witnessed. This era has so many things taking place, and LeBron is still playing well. It’s crazy.”
I thought LeBron and Luka [Dončić] were solid. I thought they both needed an additional battery pack as a player. When they had that team that won a championship, they had mobile bigs. That was the start of bringing bigs back with Dwight [Howard] and [JaVale] McGee. They were ahead of the game. So now you fast forward. They weren’t quite as big, in young and in shape.
So that put more pressure on LeBron and Luka as a duo. Then they were also hurt. So that was another problem. I thought this year in the playoffs, they could get onto something. But they were hurt with Luka and Austin [Reaves]. So who knows. If Luka was there, they would’ve played well. They’re not getting swept against OKC with Luka. If Luka is there, there is a Game 6 or a Game 7. Then anything can happen, 100%. Even when you look at the Knicks beating the Spurs [in the NBA Finals], the Lakers could have made an argument they could’ve done that with their fire power.”
Horry: “He has an opportunity to do something different. I think, in his mind, LeBron doesn’t think he can win a championship here. So he’s going to try to go somewhere else and win a championship. I’m all about player empowerment. Do what you want to do. It’s your life. It’s your journey. So do what you need to do to make yourself happy.
But I had no clue what he would do. You think about the way teams are constructed right now. Every team used to construct a way to beat Shaq. Now you have to construct your team to beat OKC and San Antonio. Do the Lakers have the ability to do that? That’s the question. LeBron, knowing the IQ that he has, is probably thinking that it’s a big ‘If’ given the salary cap and what players the Lakers can get. So I think LeBron is thinking about his legacy. He is probably thinking he can’t win another chip here. So that’s why he’s probably he’s trying to move on.”
Thompson: “I was surprised. I thought LeBron would come back and finish it with Luka and Austin. When those three were healthy and playing together in March, they were one of the best teams in the league. They were one of the best trios. So I thought they’d run it back again this year. LeBron’s so entrenched here. He has his beautiful home here in LA. His daughter goes to school here. So I thought his roots had grown deep enough to stay here and just retire here.”
What is LeBron’s legacy with the Lakers?
Sandiford-Artest: “I think it was great. Is he going to get a statue? Time will tell. Maybe. But he got the championship. He played pretty well. He missed the playoffs a couple of times, but he did get the championship. He and AD [Anthony Davis] brought another championship here. That is huge. He’s legendary. The Lakers went to the playoffs a few times. They won the title. And they had a few bad seasons.”
Horry: “To be honest, I think it’s no more than AD’s and everybody else on that championship team. He came here to win chips. He only won one. A lot of people are going to look at that differently because it was in the bubble. He had big shoes to fill because they’re always going to compare him to Kobe. Can he be as good as Kobe and can he do what Kobe did? So LeBron was pushing uphill the whole time he was here. Now it’s up to how fans and the organizations view him.”
Thompson: “It’s historic. He set the all-time scoring record here by breaking Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar’s] record. He helped the team to a championship. He definitely goes down as one of the great Lakers legends.”
Where do you rank LeBron’s all-time scoring record?
Sandiford-Artest: “LeBron did a lot of groundbreaking stuff in a Lakers uniform. That’s crazy. But I think him beating Kareem’s record in a Lakers uniform is legendary. It’s crazy that I had predicted that LeBron would break Kareem’s record [in 2012]. LeBron isn’t taking any punishment. He’s dishing out all the punishment. If you try to give him punishment, he’s taking it back. So there is no wear and tear on his body except for his age. So he can go for another three or four years. He also adjusted his game. He became a better shooter. So if he wants to, he can adjust his game again. His physical ability is still outstanding. So he can do a lot with that.”
Horry: “I look at this scoring record as incredible because of his longevity with what he’s been able to do. But I still view Kareem’s record as a little bit better because he didn’t shoot 3s (laughs). But that is not a slight to LeBron. It is still a great accomplishment. You think about the longevity. At 41, I could barely walk up the stairs. At 41, he’s still playing basketball. What he is able to do is incredible.
He’s great for the league. He’s great for the sport. He’s a great ambassador. He’s been in the league for so long. How many times have you heard something negative about him, other than people being upset not signing with a team? That’s it. But that’s his prerogative. That’s great. You think about other players that have gotten into fights with the coaches or fights with his teammates. That never happened with LeBron. Think about what he did with his former Cavs teammates. They all went on vacation together. You can’t do nothing but tip his hat to the guy. He’s a great guy for the game.”
Thompson: “I thought it was unbreakable. I thought for him to do that, it would be like somebody hitting 800 home runs. I don’t think anybody is going to go there and do that again. But LeBron just raced past the 40,000 point barrier like it’s nothing.”
A good segment of Lakers fans didn’t fully embrace LeBron because he was a hated opponent and wasn’t a homegrown player like Magic and Kobe were. What did you make of that whole dynamic?
Sandiford-Artest: “That’s between those fans and their issue. Everybody sees it differently. I was an actual player. So that’s between those fans and whoever they have an issue with. They’ll have to adjust to that on their own. Almost everybody gets traded or isn’t on the same team their whole career. It’s not his fault. It takes two to tango. Obviously, the Lakers wanted him. So he doesn’t deserve all of the commentary.”
Horry: “It’s so weird. For me, I was somewhere for four years before I came to the Lakers. I spent seven and then moved on after that. LeBron has been an illustrious player for so long. Then he comes to the Lakers and chose to come help the organization win. He won the one. It didn’t go as well as it hoped after that. So it’s just weird.
He’s such a great player and has done so much for the NBA as a whole. Then for him to come in and move out, Lakers fans may actually accept him a little more. A lot of things in his career happened here. You think about the milestones that he accomplished here. If he had retired here, I guarantee the whole outlook from Lakers fans would be different. Now I think their outlook is going to go backwards now since he didn’t finish his career here. I hate to say that. But they expect so much.
It’s like the Spiderman saying, ‘With great power, comes great responsibility.’ They look at him like that and they only got one chip out of him. So they’re going to look at him like, ‘Did we really need him? Did we really want him?’ I won’t look at it like that. But I know with talking to some Lakers fans and having my ear to the street, that’s how they view him. He tried to fill Kobe’s shoes, and they felt like he didn’t.”
Thompson: “Those kind of Lakers fans are unappreciative and underestimated his greatness with what he brought to the Lakers. He brought the Lakers back to relevance after he signed with them. The Lakers were always relevant. But he brought them back to prominence and put them back on the map where they always belonged. He wasn’t an organic Laker like Magic or Kobe. But neither was Kareem, and they embraced him and loved Kareem like he was. LeBron came here with so much fanfare from Cleveland and Miami. So by the time he came here, maybe they didn’t think it was as significant because he established a legendary status with two other franchises.”
If it wasn’t for the pandemic and LeBron was able to play that championship season in front of fans and then have a parade, how do you think LeBron’s dynamic would’ve been with Lakers fans?
Horry: “I think it would’ve changed it a lot. Also, if the Lakers had tried to run it back with that team, it may have been different. They broke up the team right after winning. They didn’t get a chance to run it back. Then AD got hurt. Then LeBron got hurt. Then things didn’t work out. If the Lakers win a championship, they usually win another championship the next year or the following year. That’s just what they do. But now, the Lakers haven’t won a championship in what has felt like a long time. So fans always look at that. It’s a different situation when you step in a Lakers uniform. You’re not happy to win just one like you’re at OKC or you’re at Milwaukee. For the Lakers, one means nothing to us. In a three-year span, we need two (laughs).”
Thompson: “That bubble sort of froze the fans out. That probably had something to do with it. It wasn’t the same. But it was still a legitimate championship. Everybody had to play by the same rules. It definitely is a legitimate championship. It’s just not as passionate if it was done in front of the Lakers fans. Everybody had to go through the same circumstances and face the same situation. So it’s definitely legit. It’s just that the fans weren’t as connected to it because they weren’t there.”
Three years ago, Jeanie [Buss] told me the Lakers will retire LeBron’s jersey after his Hall-of-Fame induction, regardless of whether he retires as a Laker. Does he deserve that?
Sandiford-Artest: “That’s good. That’s correct. Of course. You can find an argument if you want to find an argument. But of course he deserves that. He played very well. Even if it wasn’t LeBron and it was another player, the Lakers should retire his jersey because he played really well. Look at his stats. He won a championship and had some of the best stats. Where does he pair up with everybody’s stats? I think they’re at the top.”
Editor’s note: In his eight seasons with the Lakers, James averaged 25.9 points while shooting 51.3% from the field and 35.6% from 3, along with 7.9 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game. During his 20-year NBA career with the Lakers,
As for other Lakers luminaries? Bryant averaged 25.0 points while shooting 44.7% overall and 32.9% from deep, along with 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. During his 13-year NBA career with the Lakers, Johnson posted 19.5 points while shooting 52.0% from the field and 30.3% from 3, along with 11.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game. During his 14 years with the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar posted 22.1 points on 56.7% shooting, 15.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. During his eight years with the Lakers, Shaquille O’Neal averaged 27.0 points on 58.2% shooting. During his 14-year career with the Lakers, the late Jerry West averaged 27.0 points on 47.4% shooting and 6.7 assists per game.
Sandiford-Artest after learning about the cited numbers: “That’s crazy. That shows LeBron should definitely get his Lakers jersey retired. It wouldn’t make sense if he didn’t. I can see why a fan that loves Kobe would be upset about that. I think that’s pretty funny.”
Horry: “Once you get into the Hall-of-Fame, you also go up in the rafters for the Lakers. So I’m fine with that. He spent enough time here to deserve that and earn that. He put a lot of butts in the seats. He won a championship here. I’m happy for him.”
Thompson: “He’s a Hall-of-Famer. Of course, they’re going to retire his jersey! He deserves it. He’s not going to get one statue. He’s going to get three statues in Cleveland, Miami, and LA. It’s LeBron James! He’s arguably one of the four greatest players ever to play this game. He brought a championship with the Lakers. He gave us eight great years. He definitely deserves a retired jersey and a statue.”
Where do you think LeBron will play next?
Sandiford-Artest: “He can still play. He can sign a great contract somewhere. He can still hoop. I think he’s going to be Cleveland. He started there. He won a championship there. He might as well call it a day there. The Warriors sound good, too. Sometimes with older squads, we’ve seen that work. But we’ve also seen it not work. Anywhere LeBron goes, he’s a good fit. But he has to be around people that can run and that are younger. But with Cleveland, he’ll get a great farewell tour.”
Horry: “Everybody keeps talking about Golden State. But I’m thinking Miami. If I’m LeBron, I’m not going to Cleveland because James Harden is a liability in the playoffs. I’m thinking about playing with Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. He opens up the floor so much for people. Think about what OKC and San Antonio has. If he goes to Golden State with AD, they still won’t beat those two teams. Those two teams are too damn good. So I just think his best bet is going back to Miami because he’ll have an easier route to get to the Finals in the East.”
Thompson: “Wherever he goes, he’s going to make that team a serious contender, whether it’s Golden State or Cleveland. If he goes to Cleveland, they’re right up there with the Knicks in the East. Cleveland is deep. If they had the LeBron that we saw last season, I think Cleveland would have been in the Finals. But I think he’s going to go to the Warriors. I think LeBron, Steph [Curry], and Draymond [Green] are close. It’s going to be close between the Cavs and the Warriors. But I think with his close friendship with Steph and Draymond and with how persuasive those two guys can be, I think he’s going to end up there.
They have so much mutual respect. It’s like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. They wanted to destroy each other. But they had so much respect and admiration for each other. So now they can be friends and appreciate the great rivalry that they had. Steph, Draymond, and LeBron will be the same way. On the court, as opponents, they wanted to destroy each other. But they respect their championship hearts so much that they know they could play together if they ever teamed up. And with load management these days, Steve Kerr and his staff will be very smart about figuring out how to rest these guys. All they have to do is get to the playoffs healthy. When you have Steph, Draymond, and LeBron, they know what it takes to win.”
Mark Medina is an NBA contributor to Fadeaway World. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
