LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers opened a new school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio yesterday. On the side, the king gave an extensive interview with ESPN, in which he spoke for the first time in detail about his thoughts and his decision of the Free Agency.
“I like the challenge of leading a team where it hasn’t been for a long time,” James told Rachel Nichols (ESPN) about his decision to join the Los Angeles Lakers this summer. “Of course, the Lakers haven’t reached the playoffs in years, but this organization is a historic franchise on a par with the biggest.”
James made comparisons with big teams from other sports like the Dallas Cowboys, the New England Patriots, Manchester United and also the arch-rival of the Lakers, the Boston Celtics. “I am glad to be part of such a franchise now. I think it’s a good move not only for my family, but also for the history of basketball in general.”
LeBron now joins a team in which many young players are still without playoff experience and the recently signed veterans sometimes have a somewhat difficult reputation. Nevertheless, James was optimistic about his new team-mates. “At the end of the day, these are players who love basketball. I like that and I think the same goes for Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka. “Players like Lance, JaVale, Beas and Rondo get up every morning thinking only of basketball.”
At the age of 33, James will slowly reach the autumn of his career, but James does not want to know anything about this. “I don’t think this is going to be the last year of my Prime. Age is just another statistic. “The fact that I can spend so much time with my children keeps me young anyway.”
James also spoke about his decision making. So LeBron had four options: Cleveland, Philadelphia, Houston and of course the Lakers. It was not an easy decision, as he admitted, even though LeBron decided this time faster than in 2010 or 2014.
Meanwhile, LeBron has no great expectations of his new team. “We definitely want to be better than last season and we want to develop habits that make champions. “For me, that means you give it all in every workout.”