Now that the world knows LeBron James was presented with the opportunity to become a Golden State Warrior, it’s time to take a deeper dive into the situation. What this came down to was the Warriors front office calling James’ bluff. LeBron is on record saying he’d love to play next to Stephen Curry one day, but once presented with the opportunity, he took a step back. James doesn’t want to play second fiddle to anyone, especially a peer with the same number of titles. All that talk was just that, talk.
Maybe James does wonder somewhere deep down what it would be like to occupy the court with Curry every night. Now, it probably would’ve taken quite a bit to actually get this deal done. So the fact that it was shot down speaks volumes. LeBron loves to throw things out there and just let them marinate.
“Bronny could play for us right now. Easy. Easy.” – LeBron James
Like when James says his son could play for the Lakers now. Those were his words, not anyone else’s. We understand the sentiment, but if he truly believes Bronny could walk in from USC and play significant minutes for the Lakers this season, he’s also sipping too much cognac like his No. 1 fan, Unc Shay Shay. Bronny is not ready to be a contributing factor on any NBA team at this moment. Doesn’t mean he’ll never get there, but not yet.
This is the kind of hyperbole LeBron likes to float out into the universe. James has talked about potentially playing next to Curry (other than Team USA) for some time. Then he’s actually presented with it in reality, and nope, can’t do it. The idea of teaming up with Curry sounds good and even looks good on paper. But James isn’t ready or willing to take the backseat. Not to someone who’s been considered a rival. You’d think James’ basketball buddy, Draymond Green would be enough to sweeten the deal. Apparently, he wasn’t.
Imagine the Warriors winning a championship behind the efforts of Steph and LeBron. Not LeBron and Steph, but Steph and LeBron. James would have a hissy fit over that. But if the tandem were to team up in Golden State, you know how it’ll be viewed especially in the San Francisco Bay Area. Of course, James would get tons of credit, but Curry is homegrown and brought this franchise their first championship in decades.
If you grew up in the Bay Area in the 1980s, 1990s or 2000s, you know how tough it was being a Warriors fan. There were some decent years here and there prior to Curry’s arrival during this time, but they were nowhere close to winning titles. James is smart and knows he can’t go to Golden State and run the show.
It’s best for the King’s brand and legacy that he stays in Los Angeles and finishes out this season. What happens moving forward happens, but James heading north to team with Curry isn’t in the cards. It’s fun to think about and pontificate over, but it’s about as likely as LeBron winning championship No. 5.
