While the NBA celebrated LeBron James’ historic record-breaking moment on Tuesday, one thing was missing: A Lakers victory.
Yes, LeBron passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. But what does it all mean and does it matter if the Lakers continue to lose?
Besides LeBron passing Kareem, honestly, this has not been a good week for the Lakers. Not only did they lose 133-130 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they also lost out on a trade for Kyrie Irving.
Although Irving is very temperamental, he is still a huge star in this league. He really could have helped the Lakers get to the postseason, which is now in question.
There were even reports that after the game, the team was in the locker room devastated because they still lost. Hell, even Anthony Davis didn’t stand up right away to cheer LeBron, because it didn’t mean anything if your team is losing.
As great as LeBron is, a lot of the Lakers’ woes fall on him. He pressured management to make changes to a team who had just won the NBA Finals back in 2020. Instead of adding young players, the Lakers got older by adding Russell Westbrook, who for the most part has disappointed.
What does it say that despite having Davis and LeBron, the Lakers still find themselves on the outside looking in?
When healthy, LA can be scary good. But the problem is they don’t have enough pieces to make a serious run in the Western Conference. Oh, they might put the fear of God in some teams. But for the most part, everyone in that conference has moved ahead of one of the greatest franchises in any sport.
While the Lakers’ biggest rival, the Boston Celtics, played for an NBA title last year, they continue to struggle.
So, congratulations LeBron. But until the Lakers can make a serious run in the Western Conference, your scoring title means nothing.
About Stacey Mickles
Stacey is a 1995 graduate of the University of Alabama who has previously worked for other publications such as Sportskeeda and Saturday Down South.