You either retire a hero, or play long enough to become a villain. By the time he hangs it up, LeBron James will hold the record for the most games played in NBA history and the Los Angeles Lakers' superstar has definitely become a villain.
As if he wasn't a villain to more pessimistic fans already.
Carmelo Anthony, who was one of LeBron's closest friends in the league and a former teammate on the Lakers, recently said it best. During a recent episode of Anthony's 7PM in Brooklyn, Carmelo correctly explained how LeBron is the basketball sun that the rest of the NBA orbits around.
“He’s living long enough to be the villian. That’s what he’s doing," Carmelo said.
"He’s doing everything at the top. Still holding this league down. This league don’t move without Bron. I don’t give a f--- what nobody say. It don’t move without Bron. Until he’s gone. His position in this game is bigger than wins and losses throughout the season”
LeBron James is set for a collision course with the Lakers if he agrees with Carmelo Anthony
I challenge anyone reading this to spot the lie. LeBron may no longer be the best player in the league, but he is the most famous by miles. After all, there's no other player in the league who got their own press conference separate from the regular All-Star Game press conference. LeBron did.
And if Carmelo thinks this way about LeBron, well, LeBron thinks that way too.
Carmelo is certainly right about LeBron's standing in the league, but it also explains how the Lakers operate. The Lakers are the most famous franchise in the sport and on paper, don't have to bend to LeBron's will. Yet that is exactly what they have done over the last near-decade.
If they didn't, Russell Westbrook would have never donned the purple and gold. Bronny James also may have never been drafted by LA. Just saying.
The real story is how the Lakers will operate this offseason. LeBron is an unrestricted free agent and is as a point in his career where he is no longer worth a max contract. Heck, he's not even the primary star on the Lakers anymore, as that mantle has been held by Luka Doncic since his surprise arrival a year ago.
But he's LeBron James. Anthony's comments perfectly explain the gravity that LeBron has in the league. The Lakers have given in to that gravity before, but will they again this offseason? That is the question that should be on every fan's mind heading into the summer.
If the Lakers view LeBron in the same manner that Carmelo does, then the franchise will once again bend the knee to ensure that LeBron's retirement tour, whether that be next season or the season after, happens in LA. If he is truly bigger than wins or losses, the Lakers won't stomach him donning a different uniform to end his NBA career.
But as Lakers fans know all too well, this organization is all about winning. There isn't a single greater priority for the Lakers, regardless of who the ownership group is. For that reason, fans may see the center of the NBA galaxy knocked off its axis for the first time in the last two decades.
Regardless of whether or not that happens, buckle up. LeBron could go full Hulk Hogan at WCW Bash at the Beach.