Former head coach Byron Scott has a major reason for snubbing LeBron James from his all-time LA Lakers starting five.
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most decorated franchises in NBA history. They have won the second-most NBA titles in league history with 17 championship banners hanging from the rafters.
Evidently, a plethora of amazing stars have worn the iconic Purple and Gold jersey during their respective careers.
Speaking of which, former player and head coach of the LA Lakers, Byron Scott, recently attempted to name his all-time starting lineup.
For a franchise as huge as the Purple and Gold, it’s simply too hard to name a team with just five players. Despite that, Scott scratched his head and gave his take on the same.
“Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant… Kareem, Wilt, and Shaq, I gotta leave somebody out. I’m going to go with Cap (Kareem). I’m going to say James Worthy and Elgin Baylor,” Scott said.
He added: “I’m going to put James at the power forward, bring Elgin as the small forward. Sixth man?Jerry West.”
Scott took his sweet time to complete this Herculean task, but the starting five looked good. Sure, some major names are missing, but everyone is allowed to have their own take on the debate.
Getting a statue outside the arena of one of the most illustrious franchises in the NBA is no small deal. Only a handful of players have been blessed with that honor.
Many believe that LeBron James could be next in line to do so. But Scott is against that notion.
“He’s got one championship, he’s been here [seven] years if he can get to 10 years, and he can get another ring, yeah. Then I’d say he deserves a statue. Lakers standards are different man, look at the statues they got right now,” Scott stated.
“Everybody has been there 10 plus years with multiple championships in that uniform. I don’t give a ___ what you did in maroon and gold and white and blue it doesn’t matter. What did you do in purple and gold? If you’ve got two or three rings, now we’re talking,” he added.
But was this a dig at James’ NBA legacy? Certainly not.
“Obviously he’s one of the greatest ever, no doubt about that.”
At 40 years old, James is currently playing the seventh season of his NBA career in LA. But even during the twilight years of his career, James is putting up excellent numbers.
In fact, he has been one of the biggest driving forces behind the Lakers’ resurgence following a poor start to the 2024-25 NBA season. If he can lead the team to another ring, it would certainly solidify him among the all-time Lakers legends.
