The NBA season is right around the corner, but the league’s oldest player still had some time on his hands on Saturday morning.
Legendary small forward LeBron James is in the twilight of his career, but a retirement tour wasn’t in the back of his mind when he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer “called cap,” or called out a lie, on social media on Saturday when he saw a report claiming that his decision to don the purple and gold came was reached after witnessing how the franchise treated the last few seasons of another legend, the late Kobe Bryant. James, who will turn 40 in December, will likely retire as a member of the Lakers.
That report originated from a story by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
“Part of the reason James came to the Lakers as a free agent in 2018 is the standard of care they showed during the final seasons of Bryant’s career a decade ago, sources said,” Shelburne wrote. “James liked playing for an iconic franchise as much as he liked how it treated its iconic players.”
James took to X, formerly Twitter on Saturday morning to dispute that report.
“I came to the Lakers cause I wanted to help Jeanie win championships, bring that Spark back to the Lakers and see my family blossom in SoCal,” the four-time NBA champion said. “Why would I make a decision on how someone else is treated. Mama always said ‘Stay out of grown folks business’.”
As King James’ seventh season in the Southland is about to kick off in a few weeks, it’s tough to dispute that he hasn’t accomplished those goals.
He, along with Anthony Davis, brought a title to L.A. after winning the 2019-2020 NBA Finals in the Orlando bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lakers are as popular as ever, and the James family is now prominent in L.A., with son Bronny joining the team as a rookie this season and his production company making moves in Hollywood.