NBA Rumors: LeBron James Admired 'Care' Lakers Showed Kobe Bryant in Final Seasons

LeBron James knows that the Los Angeles Lakers will take good care of him when he prepares to retire from the NBA.

Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reported that James appreciated the "care" that the Lakers took for franchise legend Kobe Bryant during his final seasons with the team and that motivated him to sign and stay with the franchise through the end of his career.

"Part of the reason James came to the Lakers as a free agent in 2018 is the standard of care they showed during the final seasons of Bryant's career a decade ago," sources told Shelburne. "James liked playing for an iconic franchise as much as he liked how it treated its iconic players."

James is entering his 22nd NBA season and his seventh with the Lakers. He led the team to a championship in 2020 and has averaged 27 points, eight assists and 7.9 rebounds during his time with the franchise.

He re-signed with the team in the offseason on a two-year deal worth $104 million. The second year of the deal is a player option, so James has some options for deciding when to retire.

The Lakers drafted his son, Bronny, in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, so he could have some motivation to stay around for a bit longer. However, he knows that he is with a team that will honor him properly when he finally does decide to call it a career.