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$50 Million Worth Close Friend Kicks LeBron James Off Great Lakers List in Brutal Reply to Shaquille O’Neal

Published 08/14/2022, 8:30 PM EDT

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NBA superstar LeBron James is arguably one of the best players ever. But is he one of the top-5 best Los Angeles Lakers players ever? After his second stint with his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, James joined the Lakers in 2018. It was a blockbuster move that made sense to all parties. With the Lakers, the ‘Chosen One’ had the opportunity to play for one of the biggest markets. And it also gave him the opportunity to indulge in his other endeavors like movies, commercials, etc.

The Lakers are one of two of the most successful franchises in the NBA. With the other team being their arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics. Throughout his career, LeBron James has dismantled the Celtics in the playoffs. Be it for the Cavaliers or the Miami Heat. So it was a match made in heaven.

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But his age was a huge concern for many who doubted his ability to continue performing at the highest level. Furthermore, the pressure of playing for a successful club with high expectations is never easy. However, James played at his usual best for the Lakers. Even though he wasn’t playing 80 games like before, he was still playing well.

LeBron James is not a top-5 Laker

In his second season with the Purple and Gold, LeBron James helped them win the NBA title in the bubble. The addition of superstar center Anthony Davis played a vital role in the championship run. However, a lot of rival fans and even some analysts downplay the title win because it was the ‘Bubble Ring’. They feel that the shortened NBA season helped James and the Lakers.

And now, former teammate and close friend, Richard Jefferson has said that James is not a top-5 Laker. He said, “LeBron James has not done enough as a Laker to be on that list. Bron been there now, this is his fourth season, right? They’ve been in there four seasons. Two years, they haven’t made the postseason. One year, they lost in the first round. And one year, they won a championship.”

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He was talking about the list recently shared on social media by another Lakers legend, Shaquille O’Neal. The photo had the players Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Shaq himself. And O’Neal added the humble caption that he would eliminate himself from the list to make a top-5.

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It created a lot of debate on social media. Magic, Kareem, and Bryant have helped the Lakers to win 5 NBA titles each. Shaq has helped them to 3 titles, while Wilt has won 1 with the Lakers. James has so far won 1 with them as well and they didn’t make the playoffs for two years. So the $50 million worth of former star, Jefferson, does have a valid point. However, he could be the best player ever to play for the franchise.

Do you think LeBron James is a top-5 Laker? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Bagavathi Eswaran

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Bagavathi Eswaran is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He has been playing the game of basketball for more than 20 years now and has also been following the NBA for more than 10 years. After not being able to go pro, this former college player decided to join the IT industry.
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Edited by:

Pritam Priyedarshi