As Kobe Bryant’s Death Anniversary Nears, Lakers’ LeBron James Doesn’t Want to Think About it

Published 01/19/2021, 5:46 AM EST

It is surreal to think that Kobe Bryant’s death anniversary is a week away. The Los Angeles Lakers legend passed away in January 2020, and since then the whole NBA has been affected. Led by LeBron James, the Lakers successfully won the 2020 title, which was the ultimate way to pay respects to Kobe.

With the first anniversary of his death nearing, LeBron doesn’t want to imagine that heartbreaking timeframe once again, but wants to continue to work and make him proud.

“I try not to take myself back to that position, that place, that timeframe,” LeBron said. “Obviously, he’s looking down on us, along with Gigi, just proud of what we’re doing as an organization. Hopefully, we continue to make him proud… I don’t want to live in the past. I definitely don’t want to live out that day again. It’s about always continuing to move forward and continuing to live on his legacy.”

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LeBron James on nearing 1-yr anniversary of Kobe Bryant's death: "I don't want to live in the past. I definitely don't want to live out that day again. It's about always continuing to move forward and continuing to live on his legacy." pic.twitter.com/YuU1kWE7KA
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 19, 2021

Can LeBron James and the Lake Show win it once again?

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Last night the Lakers came off a surprising loss against the Warriors. Both teams were coming off contrasting runs. The Lakers had won four games in a row prior to this game, while the Warriors had lost their last two.

The Lakers started strongly and were up by 64-48 at halftime. But they completely lost the plot after that. They got outscored 67-49 and ended up losing by two points. LeBron missed a potential game-winner, an audacious fadeaway three-pointer, but it was never going in. He ended the game with 19 points while shooting a miserable 6-16 from the field.

This game showed that if both LeBron and Anthony Davis have a bad game, it could be tough for the Lakers to win. But it is unlikely that it happens in 4/7 games in a playoff series. So the Lakers fans will not be too upset over this loss.

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They will once again be favorites to win the title, but now the Nets have assembled a super team to combat LeBron and AD. So this could be an ultimate test for the Lakers as they try to take on James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving. The Lakers still have better depth and will be the favorites to repeat.

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Aaron Mathew is a sports analyst at EssentiallySports. A graduate in Mass Media from Xavier’s College, Aaron has been a part of EssentiallySports since May 2020 where he covers both NBA and NCAA basketball news, and has also covered NBA 2K. In the past, Aaron has worked at the Sports Desk of Mumbai Mirror.

As Kobe Bryant’s Death Anniversary Nears, Lakers’ LeBron James Doesn’t Want to Think About it

Can LeBron James and the Lake Show win it once again?

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