The great Julius Erving recently praised LeBron James and his decision to join the Los Angeles Lakers.
As we have seen in recent years, the NBA offseason is easily one of the best times of the year in all of sports. When the clock strikes midnight and free agency opens up, it is usually a blast to see all the moves and speculation.
This offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers were one of the big players with a lot of cap space. With a talented young core to go along with it, the Lakers were able to land the best in LeBron James.
For his entire career so far, James has played in the Eastern Conference with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat. There is no denying that the East has run through whichever team LeBron is on, as he has made it to eight straight finals.
However, by joining the Lakers, LeBron will be playing in the Western Conference for the first time in his career. Recently, Julius Erving praised LeBron for making the switch. Here’s what he had to say during a radio appearance.
"“I have a great admiration for a guy who dominated the Eastern Conference as he has and then goes out to take up the challenge of playing in the Western Conference,” Erving said on air to ESPN 97.3 with text via 247sports.com. “That’s chutzpah.”"
The switch to the Western Conference will certainly be a new challenge for LeBron. Over the past few years in the East, the competition has been much easier than the West. Now, James will have to play some of the better teams in the league more frequently, including the Golden State Warriors.
At 34-years-old, Irving praised James for making this big move, as this could be the final stop for James. The addition of LeBron has instantly made the Lakers a contender in the West, as many expect them to now be a playoff team.
While James’ streak of making it to the NBA Finals is going to be a challenging road, him being on the court gives the Lakers a chance to make the NBA Finals. The move to the West was certainly a big decision for James this summer. Furthermore, we will have to wait and see what he and the Lakers can accomplish the next few years.