LeBron James chose the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency six years ago for a variety of reasons, but apparently the franchise’s treatment of Kobe Bryant was not one of them.
In a piece that was published on Friday, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said the Lakers’ treatment of Kobe Bryant during the twilight years of Bryant’s career was a factor in why LeBron chose to sign with L.A. Shleburne wrote that James “liked playing for an iconic franchise as much as he liked how it treated its iconic players.”
For whatever reason, that report irritated LeBron. He responded to it in a post on social media Saturday and called it “cap,” which is his way of saying Shelburne’s sources are lying.
“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. Why would I make a decision on how someone else is treated. Mama always said ‘Stay out of grown folks business,'” James wrote on X.
. 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. Why would I make a decision on how someone else is treated. Mama always said “Stay out of grown folks business”. https://t.co/FsvTi5HqMU
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 5, 2024
Shelburne’s report was not a knock on James, so it is strange that he found the need to set the record straight. It would be perfectly reasonable for him to factor in Kobe’s experiences with the team, but he apparently does not want anyone to have the impression that was a consideration for him.
Of course, this is not the first time LeBron has taken offense to what people say about why he chose the Lakers.
