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Lakers’ President Jeanie Buss Reveals that She Feared LeBron James Could Leave After Horrendous First Season

Published 04/23/2021, 3:17 PM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

LeBron James is truly a game changer in the league. Whichever team he joined, he led them to a championship. The latest team to join this list was the Los Angeles Lakers.

Playing alongside another superstar in Anthony Davis, Bron led the Purple & Gold to their 17th NBA title. The King now is in pursuit of the 5th ring of his career and will hope that he is back to full health ahead of a busy post-season.

Lakers’ President Jeanie Buss reveals the time she feared LeBron James would leave the team

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LeBron James and the Lakers might be dominating the league right now, but it was not smooth sailing in his first season in LA. Joining a young Lakers team, the ‘King‘ was expected to lead the team to a deep playoff run.

While LBJ was on pace to lead the team to the Playoffs, a groin injury kept him away from the game. The younger players couldn’t keep the Lakers up in the Playoffs. This tumultuous season sparked multiple rumors surrounding the team.

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USA Today via Reuters

Lakers’ Jeanie Buss recently made an appearance on the All the Smoke podcast. There, the 59-year-old spoke about how she feared LBJ would want to leave the team.

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“I wouldn’t have faulted LeBron coming back and saying this isn’t what I signed up. Because Magic was a big reason why he came to the Lakers to begin with.

“LeBron wasn’t gonna waste the last few years of his career being in a place that didn’t know what it was doing. He could’ve easily said, ‘I want out’, ‘I want to go somewhere else’.”

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But LeBron endured with the Lakers and was one of the biggest reasons why Anthony Davis signed with the team. With a long-term contract signed, LBJ and the Lakers are a lock, at least for a couple of seasons.

Jeanie Buss and the Lakers front office clearly know the talent they have at their hands and added multiple talented players to the side for a possible title defense. Can the Lakers defend their title despite the rise in competition?

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Written by:

Aditya Mohapatra

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Aditya Mohapatra is a sports enthusiast who primarily covers the NBA for EssentiallySports. Having graduated in Mass Communication, he has prior experience in writing for ABP News, and has been writing for EssentiallySports since November 2020. This die-hard Los Angeles Lakers fan feels that LeBron James is the best thing to have ever happened to the NBA, and will hold a healthy debate with anyone suggesting otherwise.
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