Alexander: If this is it, how to describe LeBron's Lakers legacy?
The world according to Jim:
• Just what will LeBron James' legacy as a Laker be, at the point that he either hangs 'em up for good or heads elsewhere?
And mind you, as of the moment this is being written there are no indications which way this will go beyond his cryptic message in his Monday night remarks to the media: "When the time comes, then obviously you guys will know what I've decided to do." …
• He did win a title here, for a franchise where all achievements are measured by the number of banners hung. Even though it's just one, at some point his jersey number will be retired since he did what he intended to do, as he described Monday night: "Restore this franchise back to what it was known for, winning championships and playing at a high level." …
• In the five seasons before James signed with the Lakers in 2018, they were a collective 158 games under .500, including 21-61, 17-65 and 26-56 seasons, and missed the playoffs each year. In LeBron’s first year, he missed 17 straight games after a significant groin strain on Christmas Day against the Warriors; the Lakers were 6-11 in that stretch and finished 37-45, their last non-playoff season. …
• Reminder: Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West each won one title in Lakers jerseys as well (and, particularly in West’s case, Bill Russell had a lot to do with that). So that's not bad company LeBron will be keeping when his jersey goes up on that wall. …
• Before the haters start carping about how that bubble title in 2020 somehow wasn't legitimate, consider: The Lakers were 49-14 in that regular season before COVID-19 interrupted things in March. They went 3-5 after regular-season play resumed July 30 in Orlando, but then went 16-4 in the playoffs.
True, the conditions were more favorable, especially for an aging player: Four months of idleness, and then no travel after reaching Orlando. (But no raucous home-court atmosphere, either). …
• Beyond that, one title and the NBA records LeBron set in a Laker uniform (starting with but not limited to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's career scoring mark), he helped make the Lakers relevant again. …
• Did he not win enough championships here? That's a fair point. Since that title, only twice in six seasons have the Lakers gotten beyond the first round: 2023 when they were swept by eventual champion Denver in the Western Conference finals, and this year when they eliminated Houston before being swept by Oklahoma City (which might well win its second straight title).
How much of that was LeBron, and how much of it was the rosters around him? …
• During his exit interview press conference following Monday's Game 4 loss to OKC, James also made this observation:
"I've always been in love with the process and not the aftermath of, ‘Okay, we won that game or we won a championship.’ … If I'm not showing up to the arena two hours before the game, it's like I'm cheating the process. If I'm showing up for (11 a.m.) practice and I'm showing up at 10 o'clock, 10:30, I'm cheating the process. So that means something is going on where I fell out of love with the game and the process."
When the desire to prepare becomes less important, it's probably time. That will be a large part of his decision, in all likelihood. …
• How do you think Oklahoma City's dominance is going over in Seattle these days? No, the folks in Western Washington haven't entirely forgotten – or forgiven – the way the Sonics franchise was uprooted in 2008. Just imagine how loud the boos will be when Seattle gets an expansion team and OKC makes its first visit. …
• Now that the folks who run the College Football Playoff seem determined to super-size it to 24 teams in 2027, following the NCAA basketball tournament's expansion from 68 to 76 this coming year, will any regular-season game in either sport – even traditional rivalry games – really matter any more? …
• Just curious: Why haven't the Dodgers added a memorial patch to their uniforms to honor the late Davey Lopes? …
• Ah, we're full of questions today. But do we really have to ask why so many are so lukewarm, at best, about this upcoming World Cup? Here's a hint, as reported by Front Office Sports' Margaret Fleming:
"For the U.S. opener against Paraguay in Los Angeles on June 11, the prices for the highest-tier tickets, Front Categories 1 and 2, fell from $4,105 and $2,330 last week to $3,420 and $2,135, respectively, by Monday. For the U.S. against Australia in Seattle, FIFA added four Category 2 seats for $570. And after listing a Front Category 1 ticket to the final last week for nearly $33,000, FIFA had two tickets in that tier for $10,990 each on Monday." …
• This will be similar to last summer's Club World Cup, a far less prestigious tournament but one where FIFA still overestimated demand and had to reduce prices dramatically. Hold out long enough this time and you might still be able to score a couple of $40 seats for that Paraguay match.
OK, maybe $100. But still …
• And if you do go, plan on using a rideshare service to get to the match. Parking is just as outrageously priced as the tickets and less plentiful than normal at SoFi Stadium. …
• Yes, I know FIFA refuses to use the familiar name of the venue. I'm no fan of naming rights deals, but I dislike the arrogance of the governing body more. …
• Today's quiz: When the World Cup was last played in this country, in 1994, where was the championship match played, who won it and what was the attendance? Answer below. …
• Meanwhile, NFL players are noticing the grass fields being laid down in their stadiums, per FIFA requirements, and grumbling that they'll be ripped out after the World Cup and replaced by the traditional (and less safe) artificial turf. Maybe that needs to be discussed, forcefully, in their next round of collective bargaining. …
• The original announcement regarding the switch of L.A.'s 97.1 FM frequency to an all-sports format said the switch would take place this past Monday – but it has been moved back a week and now is supposed to debut this coming Monday. (But no, guys, you are not the first FM all-sports attempt in L.A., as we noted a couple of weeks ago.) …
• Quiz answer: The 1994 championship match took place in the Rose Bowl. Brazil defeated Italy, 3-2, on penalty kicks after a scoreless 120 minutes, and the game drew 94,194 fans, making it the most recent World Cup final to draw 90,000 or more. The overall attendance of 3,587,538 over 52 matches remains a World Cup record.
This World Cup will have twice as many matches while being played in three countries. But with these prices, that inflated match inventory might be the only way to break the 1994 attendance record. …
• UCLA's Cori Close, not only a national championship coach but a tireless advocate for women's basketball, is getting a four-year contract extension and a bump to around $2 million per year.
That's proof that once in a while the good ones actually do get rewarded, and in this case it's well deserved.
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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 8:21 AM.