Sports Illustrated has epic LeBron James cover for new issue
All-Star forward LeBron James officially inked his four-year, $153 million deal to join the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday afternoon. It has put him in place to be on one of the most decorated franchises in not only the NBA, but of all professional sports. The latest cover for Sports Illustrated magazine fully encapsulates just that by including some of the top players that have put on a Lakers uniform in front of James. Although there haven’t been any clear-cut championship expectations placed on him just yet, he’s joining a franchise has set the standards quite high for many of its greatest
players. James falls into that category with the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant. It may just be a matter of time before those lofty goals are placed on him to help bring the organization a 17th NBA title. It is also a chance for James to further cement his legacy, as there hasn’t been any previous all-time great to win a championship with three different franchises. If he were to help the Lakers win an NBA title, it could take his legacy to another level while playing for such a history organization. It’s an intriguing situation and new challenge for James as he heads into the 16th season of his illustrious career. Beyond that, there is a renewed excitement in the city of Los Angeles that has been lacking for quite some time with the team having missed the playoffs in each of the last five seasons, which is the longest postseason drought in franchise history. This will mark the beginning of a new era for the Lakers with yet another all-time great leading the charge to push the team to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.