Are LeBron’s Championship Days Over?

The Los Angeles Lakers are most likely going to miss the playoffs for a sixth straight season. Their catastrophe of a season is being discussed on all sports talk shows nonstop. Topics such as should Luke Walton be fired, did Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka screw up all the non-LeBron James free agent signings, is LeBron’s groin injury the primary reason they may miss the playoffs, did the failed attempt to trade all the young players for Anthony Davis ruin the team’s chemistry after the trade deadline passed are being asked. This season was always going to be a transitional year for LeBron’s Lakers on the count of they never got that second star to play alongside him. Who cares if the Lakers make the playoffs? Even if they did make it as an 8-seed, the Warriors will sweep them. The real question we should be asking is whether LeBron James who is the greatest player since Michael Jordan will ever win another NBA championship.

Here is a quote from LeBron James during the summer of 2016 after he won his third title and led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA championship in franchise history.

“My motivation,” James said, “is this ghost I’m chasing. The ghost played in Chicago.”

This is a pretty different tone compared to what he said after the trade deadline passed with the Lakers not landing Anthony Davis.

“I love the process of everything I go through to be able to compete every single night and put teams in position to compete for championships. But there’s nothing I’m chasing or feel like I need to end my career on.”

Why the change in tone? The reason is obvious. It no longer seems possible for LeBron James to match Michael Jordan’s six championships. It’s even starting to look more and more unlikely that LeBron will even win a fourth ring. This season will mark the end to his eight straight finals appearances and (most likely) be the first season since 2006 where he will not be in the playoffs. The Lakers still don’t have a second All-Star, and there is no guarantee they’ll get one. LeBron will also be 35 years old during the playoffs in 2020 IF he makes it that year

There were two main reasons why LeBron was unable to match Michael Jordan’s six rings. First off, Kevin Durant taking his talents to Golden State makes it nearly impossible for LeBron (and the rest of the league) to win an NBA championship for as long as KD plays for the Warriors. The Warriors are simply on an entirely different stratosphere, and there’s not much that hasn’t already been said about how good they are. The other reason LeBron’s had difficulty matching Michael Jordan’s six rings is because of the sheer lack of star players he’s had as his teammates the last couple of years. If you want to beat the Warriors, you have to be able to match their talent. Here are some examples of LeBron’s teams losing/not landing star players: Kyrie getting out of Cleveland, Cleveland not being able to trade for Paul George or Jimmy Butler, Paul George staying in OKC over joining the Lakers in free agency, and the Lakers not being able to land Kawhi Leonard or Anthony Davis (is Rich Paul on the hot seat?!?!?) in trades. In summary, the Warriors who LeBron barely beat in the 2016 finals got much better while his own supporting cast got worse.

If LeBron ever wins another NBA title, he needs to continue playing at an elite level through his mid-thirties, Kevin Durant to leave the Warriors, and the Lakers to land one of the top four available players this offseason (Durant, Kyrie, Kawhi, and Davis). After accumulating a good amount of additional miles during the extra sixteen months of basketball he’s played while making eight straight finals appearances, it may be difficult for LeBron to continue being the best player in the world through his mid-thirties, but an absence from the playoffs this season could provide him the opportunity to refuel. It also seems like Durant going to the Knicks is a done deal which is good news for LeBron’s chances at winning more titles. However, landing one of those four players might be tough considering Kyrie already left LeBron once, everybody seems to think Durant is going to the Knicks, the Lakers couldn’t trade for Davis when they had a head start on the Celtics and whoever gets the first overall pick, and Kawhi being linked heavily to the Clippers. One thing to pay attention to is LeBron does NOT have a no-trade clause in his contract. This is super interesting. If the Lakers strike out on these four players, would it be in their best interest to trade LeBron to a team that’s trying to contend for a title in exchange for an absurd amount of assets. What’s the point of having an aging super star who tries to trade his teammates and doesn’t get along with coaches when you’re not competing for a championship? The chances of the Lakers trading LeBron are probably extremely low especially when you factor in how long they stayed committed to Kobe to prove they’re a loyal franchise, but it’s worth the thought.

It seems more and more likely that LeBron chose to go to LA for his off-court interests because he came to the realization his chances of winning another title were slim. If LeBron had gone to the Rockets or 76ers, he would’ve came across as a ring chaser. It doesn’t seem like players, especially one like James who has the (slight) potential to be considered the greatest ever, want that label after how Durant’s been scrutinized the last three seasons. He was never returning to Cleveland considering he already brought them a title, his let’s call it rocky relationship with Dan Gilbert, and their lack of star talent after losing Kyrie. By joining the Lakers, he got to live in Los Angeles (can’t blame him for that) and focus on numerous entertainment opportunities such as Space Jam 2, SpringHill, and The Shop. There also seems like there was a plan for him to have been playing with an All-Star in Paul George instead of a bunch of disastrous signings in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee, and Rajon Rondo.

LeBron and the city of Los Angeles were supposed to make the Lakers an attractive destination to free agents. If the Lakers are unable to land another star, LeBron’s tenure in Hollywood may end up mirroring Jordan’s stint in Washington. My gut says LeBron doesn’t get the star teammate he needs, and due to that, he never wins another NBA championship. At least Space Jam 2 will be worth the wait with Ryan Coogler on board. Best of luck to LeBron on the big screen because there’s a good chance things on the court won’t be getting better.