What Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James continues to do at his age in unprecedented as he remains one of the best players in the NBA going into his 22nd season.
James could have left the Lakers this offseason if he wanted to in order to pursue another championship, but he instead chose to re-sign and likely finish out his career in L.A. alongside his son Bronny James.
One of the reasons LeBron has been comfortable in L.A. is because of his relationship with owner Jeanie Buss, which is reported to be better than ever.
And Buss is certainly thankful for James, praising the work his does for the organization both on and off the floor, via Chuck Schilken of the L.A. Times:
“He consistently delivers. He puts in the work. He’s not only a worldwide brand, but he is our leader. He’s the captain of our team and he sets the tone, sets the pace by putting in the hard work. Nobody can complain about the work if you see somebody with his résumé and his longevity of career, nobody can complain about having to practice if he’s willing to do it. And he does. He just amazes me. I don’t know what else to say.
“In terms of my expectations for the team, I can sit here and tell you — Lakers always play for a championship, as we know, between Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson and Phil Jackson and Pat Riley and Dr. Buss. That’s who we are. But it’s just me talking. What I really want is for the games to start so that we can watch what these guys are gonna do. I’ll let them tell the story ’cause they’re the ones that are really going to show us what they’ve got.”
Buss went on to further compliment James, especially seeing how he played in the Olympics this summer:
“It’s definitely gonna be an interesting season for sure. I mean, LeBron, the way he played at the Olympics? He might be the greatest of all time.”
While Buss still has faith in what James can do on the floor, he likely needs more help around him in order to compete for a championship.
LeBron has always been one to push the front office to make moves, so it will be interesting to see if that’s the case again this year if the Lakers start off slow.
Jeanie Buss: LeBron James’ max salary is bargain for Lakers
LeBron James re-signed with the Lakers at near-maximum money this offseason but even despite his age, Jeanie Buss explained why she views that as a bargain for the organization.
“It was something that was important to LeBron and yes, he is our highest-paid player, but he’s still a bargain to me. He’s absolutely amazing. Because we’re a salary cap league, there’s only so much that we can pay him. He brings us the notoriety in the league but also internationally. He’s a huge star and he’s a great leader for this team. What he does for our young players, what he does for the community. We’re proud to be partners with him. It’s the same as Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant, because we’re in a capped league, they probably should have been paid twice what they get. But we can only pay him the maximum.”
