Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is from Akron, Ohio. ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst is from Akron, Ohio. Both attended St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. Windhorst’s mother was a teacher there. James was in her class.
So Windhorst has probably been following and covering James longer than anyone. And Windhorst seems to believe James will remain with the Lakers until retirement.
“Probably,” Windhorst said on The Alex Kennedy Podcast. “His decision to go to LA … it makes all the sense in the world. It’s not really an emotional decision. It was a personal decision. It was a business decision. Him being a Laker it makes all the sense.”
James left for LA after four years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, four before that with the Miami Heat, and eight straight trips to the Finals. That included leading the Cavs to the lone championship in franchise history in 2016. He also won two with the Heat.
“When I see LeBron as a Laker I’m not moved like I was when LeBron a Heat or LeBron was a Cav,” Windhorst said. “This championship that I assume they’re going to win when they win one of the next three games it will be a special moment because it will bring the Lakers back. It happens in the wake of Kobe Bryant‘s tragic death.
“And so for the Lakers and their fans, for Kobe fans there is a moment there but it is not the same. In my view. I mean he can feel differently and he can say differently. But in my view it’s no quite the same as his first win in Miami when he broke through. It’s definitely not the same, again to me, as the win in Cleveland.”
James will be 36-years old at the end of December. In the NBA, that’s about as close as it gets to rocking chair time. But he has remained near the top of his game, and a lot of people seem to believe he has another championship or two left in him.
“It is an incredibly valuable moment, every championship is so hard to win that they all should savoring and celebrating. But winning the franchise’s 17th, breaking the interminable 10-year drought between championships that the Lakers fans suffered through.
“It’s not quite like winning one in Cleveland after 52 years and 40-some years of a Cavs organization. It’s not like when he won for the first time, overcame 4 or 5 bitter years of losses in the playoffs in his first time in Miami where he was just burned by so many when he decided to go there.
“I don’t think it’s in the same category. He may disagree. And so I don’t know if the connection is quite the same. The Lakers short-term future it looks very bright if he stays healthy and if he rattles off a couple. Maybe it does change it. Sitting here in 2020 I doubt LeBron will be remembered as a Laker.”
