The LA Lakers were on the hunt for a third star last summer and LeBron James reportedly wanted to take over DeMar DeRozan. It is well known that DeRozan also wanted to play with the Lakers before eventually signing with the Chicago Bulls.
DeRozan was reportedly dizzy when he learned that his home team wanted to sign him. But Rob Pelinka and his company decided to go in a different direction and contract another Los Angeles resident, Russell Westbrook.
The Lakers ended up having a hugely disappointing 33-49 campaign as they failed to even make it to the play-in tournament. On the other hand, DeRozan had one of the best seasons of his career, finishing 10th in MVP voting.
It was like a dagger to the hearts of Lakers fans when they heard that James DeRozan wanted too. Cari Champion, a CNN journalist who previously worked at ESPN, recently met James at a party and the King said he wanted the five-time All-Star. On her podcast “Naked with Cari Champion,” she said:
“I talked to LeBron about it. I ran into him at an event and he says, ‘Well, I was trying to get a hold of DeMar.’ I was like, ‘Stop it!'”
Both had incredible seasons with their franchises. Sure, teammates and the locker room environment made all the difference. But if they had worked together, the Lakers would certainly have had a better season than their 11th-place finish.
On the other hand, Westbrook had the worst season since his sophomore year in the league. He averaged less than 20 points per game for the first time in 11 years, and did so while shooting horrendous 44/29/66 splits.
LeBron James could pursue a career in television after retirement
LeBron James has always been handy with the media. He does not engage in nonsense or derogatory comments with media members and only appears on select podcasts and interviews. He has been on numerous talk shows and has given many speeches. Plus, any NBA fan has no doubts that James is a gifted basketball player with arguably the highest IQ in the game.
If King James were to pursue a career in television, he would certainly be good at it. Many of his colleagues and friends have played roles in the media and sports entertainment industry, such as Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal and Draymond Green.
On the latest episode of HBO’s “The Shop,” James recounted how professional football legend Tom Brady inspired him to consider TV work after his playing days are over. He said:
“Yeah, when I saw how much (Brady) signed up for, you’re damn right. I definitely would. … I mean, first of all, my knowledge of the sport and my understanding of the sport and still around of the game. I definitely want to stay in the game forever.”
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James already has a production house called Uninterrupted and a famous podcast “Road Trippin”. He has a massive platform on ‘HBO’s The Shop’ and recently starred in a movie, ‘Space Jam’. He is involved in the media on a huge level, and joining the television industry is not a far-fetched idea.
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