“A Single Player Cannot Win Championships”: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Confesses Skepticism of LeBron James Before Lakers Brought On Anthony Davis

The Los Angeles Lakers were in a tough position after Kobe Bryant retired from the NBA in 2016. The Black Mamba remained with the Lakers throughout his 20-year career. However, the Lakers started to struggle after Kobe bid adieu to the game he loved the most. During the rebuilding phase, the Lakers’ front office managed to get LeBron James from the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018. Despite LeBron’s proven brilliance, the Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar felt skeptical about his abilities before Anthony Davis was acquired in 2019.

Before Bryant’s retirement, the last championship for the Lakers came in 2012. The Lakers had to wait until 2020 to win their next championship with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar made a huge confession about his thoughts on LeBron James in his recent Substack piece.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was unsure about LeBron James 

 The six-time NBA champ shared that he was a bit skeptical about James winning a championship all alone. Abdul-Jabbar became quite hopeful of the Lakers’ chances of another championship when Anthony Davis joined LeBron on the roster in 2019. The six-time MVP said, “LeBron was a devastating player with great leadership qualities. But a single player cannot win championships.”

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reckoned that James would have needed the right teammates to complement and enhance his abilities. The Lakers made the right choice by bringing in Davis, who complimented LeBron pretty well.

However, injury has been a major concern for the eight-time All-Star. AD has missed plenty of games in the last two seasons, which has made it harder for LeBron James to lead the team close to championships. 

Will the Lakers have a turnaround this season?

The Los Angeles Lakers aimed to create a big three with James, Davis, and Russell Westbrook last season. However, due to the lack of chemistry and injuries, the trio played just 22 games together with an 11-10 record. Eventually, the Lakers finished 11th in the Western record with a 33-49 record. Since then, the LA front office has made some changes to the team.

Darvin Ham replaced Frank Vogel as the Lakers’ head coach. The Lakers have brought in players like Patrick Beverley to strengthen their roster. James also signed a two-year, 97.1 million deal with the Lakers. The team is also trying to trade Westbrook, but no fruitful result has come out of any trade negotiations yet. 

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Thus, the Los Angeles Lakers will hope to have a better season this time around. James would aim to get a few more championships before he retires from the NBA.