Gilbert Arenas said on the Nightcap Show, that LeBron James”s legacy with the Lakers will never be compared to players like Kobe Bryant or Magic Johnson, who spent their careers with the organization.
Appearing on the latest episode, he said,
“LeBron was a rental for the Lakers” greatness, and that”s just something he”s gonna have to accept. His [scoring] milestones came in this uniform… but the legacy wasn”t built here. LeBron”s Laker résumé doesn”t have a statue here. LeBron James, the name—f–k yeah, has a statue.”
Seemingly, James” two stints in Cleveland and his controversial time in Miami were more iconic than his Lakers” career, he joined the team in 2018.
As pointed out when he reached Los Angeles, he was already marked as one of the greatest players to ever live. Even though James”s career has unquestionably been superior to players like Magic and Kobe, they were lifelong Lakers and all of their titles and accomplishments came in one place.
With the Lakers, James has also won a title with the team, went to the playoffs multiple times, and set the NBA record for points scored in purple and gold.
Arguments do circled on why James should not be considered the franchise icon. Players like Shaquille O”Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Wilt Chamberlain also played elsewhere before joining the Lakers and are still considered franchise icons. Undoubtedly, James” legacy in Los Angeles will be different than that of Johnson and Kobe.
The King” had become the first player in NBA history to surpass 40,000 points in his career with his haul in the 124-114 defeat against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.