Let’s just cut to the chase – no. LeBron will not go to the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, customarily, made some controversial comments regarding the matter on Tuesday’s ESPN First Take.
“Chances are he’s not thinking about doing any such thing before delivering a championship to Cleveland,” Smith said. “But once he delivers a championship to Cleveland, all bets are off. I would still say the odds on favorite is for him to remain in Cleveland, but if he delivers the Cavs a championship this year, it’s entirely possible that LeBron could elect to go to someplace like Los Angeles.”
Smith continues on his soapbox.
“His lack of affinity for Los Angeles and Hollywood and all of that stuff has dissipated dramatically from what I’m told, and if the Lakers were aimed in the right direction and they had the right situation, and he delivered a championship to Cleveland, sure he would entertain it.”
That transcript of Smith's comments read like a Lakers fan's fan-fiction rendition of a vapid, blowhard talking head whose character's sole purpose is to serve as some plot function, introducing the idea that, when Cleveland wins the championship, LeBron would “entertain” a move to Los Angeles. Oh, wait — vapid, blowhard talking head? — that's pretty much Stephen A. Smith.
Look, the furthest LeBron will ever come to wearing a Laker uniform for the 2016-17 season will be when he congratulates ex-Cavalier Luke Walton on his newly appointed position outside of the Lakers’ locker room in the tunnels of Staples Center.
Maybe he'll visit L.A. over the offseason and give Lakers fans even more fodder for their faux-news machine.
Stephen A. Smith is a living, breathing hot-take. He is paid to make comments that arouse, infuriate and perplex the general sports-viewing audience on a daily basis. These comments are no different.
The next time you turn on First Take, please turn it off. The television ratings of First Take and the media attention that surrounds Smith's comments — admittedly and regrettably this article included — are a confirmation that he will continue to hold a platform by which to spew his opinions uninterrupted, so do the world a favor and skip over his show the next time you’re flipping through your television’s guide. With Skip Bayless officially ousted at ESPN, I think it’s fair to say that it is time for Stephen A. to follow suit.
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