Lakers News: LeBron James Opens Up About Earning Respect of LA Fans

Coming into the 2019-20 season, LeBron James had won three NBA titles, reached nine NBA Finals (eight straight at one point), was a 15-time All-Star and a four-time MVP. 

And frankly, he doesn't think any of that meant jack squat to Los Angeles Lakers fans.

"Well, one, what I've learned being a Laker is that the Laker faithful don't give a damn what you've done before," he told reporters Thursday. "Until you become a Laker, you've got to do it with them, as well."

One of the major storylines when James signed in Los Angeles, after all, was whether Kobe Bryant stans would ever accept James as one of their own. When James and Bryant were in the league together, the debate about who was the better player was often brought up. 

So James had something he needed to prove in Los Angeles. 

"They don't care about your resume at all until you become a Laker," he added. "Then you've got to do it as a Laker, and then they respect you. I've learned that."

James and the Lakers are one win away from winning a title and cementing their place in Lakers lore. Will James ever be beloved in Los Angeles as players who spent the majority or entirety of their career with the team like Bryant, Magic Johnson or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? 

No, probably not. History will probably remember James most for bringing a title to Cleveland, or his Decision years in Miami. His pairing with Anthony Davis shook up the NBA, no doubt, but it represents the final chapter in his story, not the book. 

Granted, it's a final chapter that might have another title or two in its pages:

Whatever his legacy might be, James said he isn't bothered by how this season might affect it. 

"I don't really think about it too much," he noted. "I think the story will be told how it's supposed to be told and be written how it's supposed to be written. But I don't live my life thinking about legacy. What I do off the floor is what means more to me than what I do on the floor."