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DeMar DeRozan’s Disrespectful LeBron James Answer Could Be Why He Didn’t Join Lakers

Published 12/19/2021, 10:59 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

A common discussion among the fans is the composition of the Mount Rushmore of NBA Basketball. This is a symbolic debate about the players who are the greatest of all time and have revolutionized the sport. While almost any NBA fan in the modern era would put LeBron James in his top four, some NBA players think otherwise.

Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan chose his Mount Rushmore. It included Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and Shaquille O’Neal.

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Not many fans know that there were rumors of DeRozan joining LeBron James at the Lakers in the free agency before this season. However, DeRozan put an end to those rumors by joining Michael Jordan’s former team, the Chicago Bulls. For a player whose Mount Rushmore includes three Lakers legends, DeRozan certainly raised a few eyebrows by electing not to go there.

DeMar DeRozan leaves out LeBron James from his NBA Mount Rushmore

The Bulls star recently named his top four players who he would put on NBA’s Mount Rushmore. While it undeniably includes some of the greatest players of all time, the fact that he left out LeBron James has caused a stir among experts and fans.

“What In The **** Is This Garbage?”: Lakers Fans Bash Renowned NBA Analyst For Predicting LeBron James’ Return to Cavaliers

Sam Quinn of CBS even suggested that this is the reason he did not join LeBron James at the Lakers.

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This honestly seems a bit absurd. Considering that 3 out of the four players he mentioned are Lakers legends with none of them being active players, it does not mean that DeRozan was reluctant towards joining the Lakers due to his lack of preference for James.

What does this mean for Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers?

The Chicago Bulls came out on top against the Lakers in a neck-to-neck game until the end. They won the game 115-110. While both these teams completely revamped the rosters in the offseason, today was a genuine test for them: an Eastern conference contender facing a Western Conference contender.

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Had DeRozan chosen to come to the Lakers, who do you think the Bulls would have brought on? Would Westbrook even be in the Lakers if they brought on DeRozan? There are too many complicated financial requirements to consider and speculate on.

USA Today via Reuters

More than that, DeRozan has even admitted that he wanted to come back to his home state California, and that would be while playing for the Lakers in Los Angeles. So, was it really James who stopped DeRozan’s move to the Lakers?

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One can only assume in this regard. What do you think about DeRozan’s choice of players for his NBA Mount Rushmore? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Chaitanya Dadhwal

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Chaitanya Dadhwal is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Even though his journalism is driven by his desire to understand both sides of an argument and give a neutral perspective, he is biased towards Houston Rockets and Arsenal, and he has shown exactly how loyal he can be through tough times. Currently a Law student at Jindal Global Law School, he aims to have his own sports management firm one day and enjoys rap music during his time off.
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