Lebron James' Historical Responsibility

[Forte IV]

In all honesty, there shouldn't be a "for Kobe" movement at all in terms of winning the championship for him. That's unnecessary pressure. What happens if he loses and fails? Then what? Don't you think multiple players now have the mindset to win in his memory? Don't you think Giannis has it? Imo it is extremely disrespectful to his legacy to be well, "they have to win for Kobe now".

If he loses and fails then you try again next season. Keep going at it until you win. That's the only thing he can do.

And those other players aren't Lakers. Those other players aren't the guy that Kobe was just saying last week that Lakers nation should embrace and support. Those other players weren't the subject of Kobe's last tweet and last instagram post.

That's LeBron.

So what happens if he fails again? And again? And again? That isn't healthy to have that pressure that you HAVE to win something in someone's memory.

[Sgt Major]

Now you guys are bashing Lebron?? Because he was silent for "nearly 2 days"?? Really? RealGM is unbelievable. If Kobe's last tweet is congratulating me and I spoke to him just hours before he died, I'd probably cry for weeks. And you guys are mad at Lebron for "not saying something right away"??

You got it all wrong. It's not about that he didn't say anything immediately, it's the fact that he had so much time to come up with a better goodbye.

[Pennebaker]

In all honesty, there shouldn't be a "for Kobe" movement at all in terms of winning the championship for him. That's unnecessary pressure. What happens if he loses and fails? Then what? Don't you think multiple players now have the mindset to win in his memory? Don't you think Giannis has it? Imo it is extremely disrespectful to his legacy to be well, "they have to win for Kobe now".

If he loses and fails then you try again next season. Keep going at it until you win. That's the only thing he can do.

And those other players aren't Lakers. Those other players aren't the guy that Kobe was just saying last week that Lakers nation should embrace and support. Those other players weren't the subject of Kobe's last tweet and last instagram post.

That's LeBron.

So what happens if he fails again? And again? And again? That isn't healthy to have that pressure that you HAVE to win something in someone's memory.

That's life.

LeBron put that pressure on himself. It wouldn't be the first time he's done that. I actually think he needs to make the public promise for him to win the championship. That's been his M.O. in any case.

[Hoop Hunter]

Absolutely silly post by OP.

[ATRAIN53]

Losing Kobe sucks-

but I'm still cheering for the Clippers over the Lakers in the WCF.
because the Lakers have a case full of Larry OBrien's already - they don't need this as bad as the Clippers do.


Clippers have a lot of Kobe ties too-

Ty Lue won a Championship as his teammate-
Jerry West made the trade that brought him to LA -
Doc Rivers won and lost to him the Finals-
Sam Cassell vs Kobe was a thing in the playoffs. He went toe to toe with the Mamba a few times -

[Tiny ball]

So if Lakers win the title, do the "NBA is rigged" conspiracy theorists come out in full force?!

One would have to think the games were fixed.

[Tiny ball]

I actually found it quite egotistical that Lebron made Kobe's tragic death about himself.

Inferring that he now has the weight to continue Kobe's legacy was some of the most narcissist stuff I've ever seen.

Just respect Kobe's legacy and don't mention yourself.

It is kind of obvious LJ has sold his soul for wealth, fame and glory. He went to the cross roads it would appear. It does not take much time on YouTube to see this side of LJ.

[Lalouie]

This season will be determined on Lebron James' shoulders.

Now that Los Angeles Lakers phenomenon Kobe is gone, It is Lebron's duty to bring the championship to the city of Los Angeles in order to honour Kobe Bryant's legacy.

Can Lebron James succeed this and write the history again?

i think this is kobe's legacy.
it's like this......kobe>lakers>lebron
if you would have asked me a few months ago i would have said lakers>kobe>lebron because "THE LAKERS BRAND" is bigger than either player

there are a lot of reasons why we have seen a change in lebron's personality.

1...this ain't miami this ain't cavs. lebron can't bully his way into lal and he was made very aware of that by the resistance to his even being in a laker uniform to begin with. i mean, magic and kobe had to essentially come out supporting lbj to smooth the waters for lebron to fit in.
2...lebron is thinking about his post nba life which involves the los angeles scene and he has to ingratiate himself into the culture. therefore he's going to behave. he will not be a center of controversy. we saw a glimpse of what it means to be IMPORTANT in los angeles with the grammy's acknowledgment of kobe. i think it behooves lebron to strive for this. even his post games are different than before.

all this to say, i think lebron is doing his best to take a back seat to the laker's brand because it is so huge in LA. he doesn't want to p$$ anybody off

and lastly i did not realize the global impact of kobe and for this moment specifically, this is kobe's legacy, then the lakers, and then lastly lebron

[NPZ]

Losing Kobe sucks-

but I'm still cheering for the Clippers over the Lakers in the WCF.
because the Lakers have a case full of Larry OBrien's already - they don't need this as bad as the Clippers do.


Clippers have a lot of Kobe ties too-

Ty Lue won a Championship as his teammate-
Jerry West made the trade that brought him to LA -
Doc Rivers won and lost to him the Finals-
Sam Cassell vs Kobe was a thing in the playoffs. He went toe to toe with the Mamba a few times -

That's fine. That's how it should be and I'm the polar opposite of your wishes, obviously. And from what I've seen, I think the Clippers can do it. They're not counterfeit. However, this has deadened my interest in basketball, really. I've been an intense fan this year moreso than the lotto years, I've watched most wins twice over. I'll get over it on the 31st I guess, when the ball goes up again. For some reason, I don't even have the desire or will to come up with some eloquent statement. Still dazed at this. And I would be as well if someone fairly equivalent and 8 others were killed in an accident.

As far as LeBron goes, I think he's come a long way towards earning Laker Nation's acceptance. The vibe is very positive and genuine now. I didn't expect to see that before winning a title, but this year so far has been a refreshing change of pace. But Brawn is close to becoming a major figure in this org's history which includes a lot of legendary names.

[cbosh4mvp]

Actually, I felt that Lebron made his post entirely about himself and was incredibly self centred in his "sentimental" post to Kobe.
WTF does he have to do with carrying on Kobe's legacy? Kobe has 3 living children and I'm sure they find a way to continue his legacy. Lebron has nothing to do with Kobe's legacy and in no way does a title for him benefit Kobe. Actually, this would be a detriment to Kobe's legacy. Stop this nonsense.

[knicks512]

Actually, I felt that Lebron made his post entirely about himself and was incredibly self centred in his "sentimental" post to Kobe.
WTF does he have to do with carrying on Kobe's legacy? Kobe has 3 living children and I'm sure they find a way to continue his legacy. Lebron has nothing to do with Kobe's legacy and in no way does a title for him benefit Kobe. Actually, this would be a detriment to Kobe's legacy. Stop this nonsense.

I've never been a big Lebron fan. Absolutely love most of his game (wish he had some more killer instinct), but never was a fan of his ego.

I thought his statement was perfect.

[thebigbird]

Are people really going to use Kobe's death as another reason to call Lebron a failure if the Lakers don't win the title? Smh.

[Raps in 4]

Lakers board is that way. This has nothing to do with Kobe.

[Metallikid]

If anything he has a historical responsibility to be as helpful to players in retirement as Kobe did. He has to carry on Kobe's legacy of helping others be great.

[thebigbird]

People will find absolutely anything to hate on Lebron for. It's as pathetic as it gets. His good friend dies, hours after talking to him on the phone, and people are bashing him because *checks notes* he didn't hop on Instagram right away and his post "wasn't good enough." Seek help.

[pontius]

LeBron is a narcissist. He's like a high-school girl with his lame, corny statements. I think it's incredibly hypocritical. The last part of his statement is laughable.

Please give me the strength from the heavens above and watch over me! I got US here!

[Lepramaniac]

For me Lebron's post was garbage, somehow he managed to turn a tragic incident into something about him. What's that about continuing Kobe's legacy?. Kobe's legacy is complete and untouchable, he's the greatest Laker ever and nothing Lebron does from now on will change that. Not saying he didn't meant all the nice things he said about Kobe but he shouldn't have talked about himself and his 'mission'.

[cbosh4mvp]

LeBron is a narcissist. He's like a high-school girl with his lame, corny statements. I think it's incredibly hypocritical. The last part of his statement is laughable.

Please give me the strength from the heavens above and watch over me! I got US here!

This was my issue with the statement. What was he thinking? The man just died and lost his 13 year old daughter. Lebron is thinking about HIMSELF. Unbelievable... Thats why he has never been the greatest of leaders. Although, he is leading a bunch of simpletons most of the time and that is why he is deemed the best leader in the NBA. When you lead the likes of; JR Smith, Damon Stoudamire, James Jones, Mike Miller, Tristan Thompson, Birdman it easy to be a great leader.

[JN61]

I want to see him taking his game to another level. He will get uttermost respect from me if he can achieve that.

[axeman23]

Well Giannis is going to win for Kobe instead, sorry :-p

Yeah, or Tatum (Boston)/Kyrie (Nets)/Young (Hawks)/Booker (Suns)… How many titles are they handing out this year? Because there seems like a lot of guys who "need" to "win it for Kobe"...