Anthony Farris
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Former NBA power forward Charles Oakley knows a thing or two about NBA superstars. And in his mind, LeBron James is already planning his exit from LA.
Oakley, now 58, spent a decade alongside Knicks great Patrick Ewing, and he considers Michael Jordan to be amongst his best friends. He’s generally in the know, so when Oak speaks, people listen.
“He left twice. He’ll leave again,” Oakley said of LeBron James, via SiriusXM NBA Radio.
"He left twice… he'll leave again."@CharlesOakley34 tells @TheFrankIsola & @Scalabrine his thoughts on LeBron's future pic.twitter.com/xsxCbUd1qX
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) February 1, 2022
Oakley believes that LeBron only wants to play with teams that have a realistic chance at a championship, and that’s not gonna happen in LA. At least not now. With a record below .500 (24-27), the Lakers are currently the ninth-best team in the Western Conference.
Oakley isn’t exactly grasping at straws with his prediction. Any time a LeBron team has begun to underperform, he’s taken his ball and gone elsewhere. Cleveland, Miami, Cleveland again…
And now, Los Angeles?
“You know LeBron, his legacy right now is he definitely wants to win a championship before he retires,” said Oakley.
Rather than hang around Los Angeles playing in otherwise meaningless games, James seems poised to change teams once again, possibly even head back to the Cavaliers for round three.
“He might leave LA to get it. I don’t know if it will be Cleveland, could be somewhere else. He left twice. He’ll leave again,” assures Oakley.
Not exactly a Hollywood exit.
Follow along on Twitter: @OhioAF
I’m a rare Laker fan that says trade Lebron now while his value is still very high. I’m thinking a trade with the Sixers for Ben Simmons, Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle. The Sixers would be immediate title contenders with Lebron and the best center in the NBA in his prime. The Lakers would still be a very competitive playoff team with an excellent defense, likely the best in the NBA: AD, Simmons, Thybulle. That happens to be Vogel’s area of expertise.
Early is always better and you are right. Not sure soft Simmons is the answer though.
chicoms
Miami “underperforming” at the time LeFraud left? I’m pretty sure they were in the NBA Finals in 23’s last year in Miami, so I’m not sure how that’s considered “underperforming” … though, the theory itself does make sense.