LeBron James
The Lakers have had their years of below mediocre play. In fact, they had seasons in which they were plain terrible. Things were once again changing for the team and in the league as well.
Kobe Bryant was getting older and had suffered various injuries that cost him large amounts of time. The front office was in a rough place as Jerry West was long gone. Phil Jackson was gone and the Lakers were in search of a head coach for several seasons as they could not seem to find the correct formula for the team which would lead them back to the top of the NBA.
They had drafted several young and talented players whom they hoped would become the future of the franchise in Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Clarkson, and Brandon Ingram. Yet, something was missing. They once again needed a leader. Enter the King.
The Lakers signed the great LeBron James in 2017-18 as the franchise needed a well-known and new face. James was already by far one of the greatest players of all time as he had led the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers to NBA titles. James would have control of the team as he was now in charge. Things of course didn’t go as well as he had hoped at first as the team was still trying to find itself and rise out of the depths of the west.
In his first season with the Lakers, James averaged 27.4 points per game, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.3 assists. At the age of 34, LeBron showed no signs of slowing down as he looked better than he ever has. However, the team around him still lacked something.
In 2019-2020, LeBron would lead the Lakers back to the playoffs for the first time since 2012-13. The team now also had All-Star Anthony Davis which helped solidify their team as one of the best in the league and also gave them one of the best combinations in not only the NBA but possibly in Lakers history.
James would of course lead the Lakers to their first title since 2009-10 where he was named the Finals MVP. That same season, he was also named to the All NBA’s First team along with Anthony Davis too.