Pro sports is replete with key moments or tuning points that transformed careers and changed legacies of players and teams. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves at one of those moments.
With the coronavirus pandemic not only threatening the current season but also the future of how we watch and enjoy NBA basketball, the legacies of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers are on the line. Whether they have an opportunity to resume play and how they perform under unexpected and unpredictable situations will go a long way towards determining how sports history views them as players and as a team.
For 35-year old LeBron James, missing a golden opportunity to win his first championship as a Laker and fourth overall would be a big disappointment while winning would add major credence to his drive to be the best ever. And it would unlock the door to the possibility of winning a second and third championship in purple and gold to not only solidify James’ position as a Lakers great but also launch him on a path to replace Jordan as GOAT.
Meanwhile, winning his first championship would solidify chances Anthony Davis would sign with the Lakers long term and give him a boost in the competition to assume the crown as the best player of the next decade. Helping lead the Lakers to the championship over the Clippers and Bucks could elevate Davis to the level of the Leonard and Antetokounmpo and give him a head start on surpassing them in the race for 2020’s supremacy.
As for the Los Angeles Lakers, winning their 17th championship would tie them with their rival Boston Celtics for the most NBA championships and make them the odds on favorites to repeat and attract another superstar. The Lakers winning could also conceivably trigger Giannis Antetokounmpo to decline a supermax offer from the Bucks this offseason to become a free agent the following offseason and possibly sign with the purple and gold.
Every great superstar legacy and franchise dynasty has been launched by a memorable title triumph and winning a championship this season could be the key to unlock the door to greatness for LeBron, AD, and the Lakers.
When opportunity knocks, great players and teams answer. That’s how legacies are built. We all knew when the Lakers signed 35-year old LeBron James that the clock was clicking and LeBron’s and the Lakers’ championship window was not as long as the four-year contract he signed. The fact that he would be 39-years old and had a player option in the last year of that contract pretty much limited the King’s and the Lakers championship window to a maximum of three years.
After James’ injury and failure to consummate the trade for Anthony Davis cost the Lakers the first year of that contract, it became critical to LeBron and the Lakers that they win a championship in the second year of James’ contract or risk seeing that window close as his age increased and opportunity diminished. Then, after enduring the untimely death of team icon Kobe Bryant and right when the Lakers had peaked and took over the top spot in most of the league power rankings by defeating their two nemises Bucks and Clippers back-to-back, Rudy Gobert tested positive for Covid-19 and the NBA suspended the 2019-20 season. Suddenly, it looked like the second year of James’ four-year contract might go the same way as the first year.
But after two months of shelter-in-place and social distancing, it appears that the NBA has a good chance to resume the season in late July and finish the turbulent year with playoffs lasting until late September, meaning hopes of LeBron, AD, and the Lakers to win their 17th NBA championship is still alive. What’s become clear during the two month hiatus from games, however, is just how critical winning this championship could be the future legacies of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers. To put it simply, this is a must win season for LeBron, AD, and the Lakers. It’s an opportunity that almost was lost and now, that it’s back on the table, it’s an opportunity they cannot afford to miss as doing so could derail the future legacies of all of them.
While losing could lead to future struggles to remain elite, winning the championship would unlock doors to greatness. LeBron could take a major step at changing his destiny to be recognized not only as one of the greats of the Lakers franchise but also help him surpass Michael Jordan at the GOAT. Anthony Davis could take over the lead as the NBA superstar most likely to rule the decade of the 2020’s like his teammate James ruled as the best player on the planet for the decade of the 2010’s. And the Los Angeles Lakers could not only tie but also set the stage to supplant the Boston Celtics as the NBA franchise with the most championships in the history of the league. If there’s a path to the Lakers convincing Giannis Antetokounmpo to join them as a free agent two offseasons from now, winning this season’s championship is the key that unlocks that door.
The age old mantra of win or go home clearly applies to LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers this season. They’re at one of those key moments and critical turning points. Losing would put their joint legacy at risk while winning would unlock the door to greatness.
LeBron’s legacy was cemented when he won in a ring in Cleveland, Laker banner would be ridiculously tasty icing on a perfectly incredible cake.
Thanks, Jamie.