Derek Fisher Says Lakers Fans Celebrated LeBron Leaving, 'A Lot of People in LA Didn't Love' Tenure

Despite winning an NBA championship and becoming the league's all-time leading scorer during his eight-year tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James' departure apparently isn't being met with great sadness by fans of the team.

Former Lakers guard Derek Fisher told Yahoo Sports Daily there has been some celebration among fans after James announced he would be leaving because "a lot of people in LA didn't love LeBron's time here."

There has been discussion over the years about Lakers fans' willingness, or lack thereof, to fully embrace James.

One of the issues seemed to stem from Kobe Bryant fans, many of whom obviously overlap with Lakers fans, feeling like James was stepping into his territory when he decided to come to Los Angeles in the summer of 2018.

Bryant even addressed it in August 2018 when he appeared on The Rich Eisen Show and was asked about Lakers fans taking issue with James joining the franchise (h/t ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk):

"I hear that. But listen, if you are fan of mine, you are a fan of winning, you are a fan of the Lakers. I bleed purple and gold. So, that is above anything else. I have been a Lakers fan since I was yay high. That is never going to change. Right? [It] is about winning championships. So, they'll fall in line."

James led the Lakers to a championship in his second season with the club. He helped them make the playoffs a total of six times in eight seasons, with their best finish after the 2019-20 NBA title being an appearance in the 2023 Western Conference Finals.

Even though Lakers fans may not have ever fully embraced James, there's no arguing that his time there was a success. It may not have produced as much winning as Los Angeles preferred, but we have seen with eight different champions in the past eight seasons that it's harder to win in the NBA than ever before.