Rob Pelinka, president of basketball operations and general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, opened his season-opening press conference on Thursday with a message of gratitude to LeBron James, who left the franchise last summer after eight seasons.
“I think it was appropriate to express our gratitude for the LeBron era here,” Pelinka told reporters. “As an organization, we remain grateful for the time we had with him here.”
James joined the Lakers in 2018 and led the team to its 17th NBA championship in the 2019-20 season, in addition to becoming the league’s all-time leading scorer during his time in Los Angeles. Pelinka noted that, under the leadership of the four-time Finals MVP, the Lakers established themselves as a regular playoff team.
The executive also assured that the star’s departure occurred in a “friendly” and “professional” manner, ruling out any conflict with James or his entourage.
Luka Doncic, the new leader of the Lakers
With James now with the Philadelphia 76ers, Pelinka confirmed that the franchise begins a new stage around Luka Doncic.
“Luka is the best offensive player in the world and to be able to have that player in our pavilion every night, at 26 years old, is something special,” said Pelinka.
The Lakers have worked over the summer to surround the Slovenian with a competitive roster. Among his main movements were the renewal of Austin Reaves, the arrival of center Walker Kessler through a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz and the signing of shooting guard Quentin Grimes, who signed a four-year, $60 million contract.
Los Angeles is coming off a disappointing elimination in the second round of last season’s playoffs, when it was swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Now, with James out of the organization, the Lakers face a new stage with Doncic as their main reference.
