LOS ANGELES.- The sports president of the Los Angeles Lakers, Rob Pelinkaassured on Tuesday that he will grant LeBron James the time you need to decide your future in the NBAalthough he stressed that the next team he will build will be around Luka Doncic.
The twenty-third season of “King” James concluded Monday night with the resounding elimination of the Lakers at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the semifinals of the Western Conference.
The reigning NBA champions won 115-110 in Los Angeles to settle the series 4-0 on aggregate.
LeBron, who led his team with 24 points and 12 rebounds, refused after the defeat to give clues about his plans once his contract with the Lakers comes to an end.
“I don’t know what the future holds for me,” said the 41-year-old forward.
“I will return home, I will talk to my family and, when the time comes, you will know what I decide to do,” he concluded before the press.
Twelve hours later it was Pelinka who appeared before the media to evaluate the season of the gold and purple franchise, which once again fell far short of fighting for the championship.
I have never seen “a player honor the game in that way,” Pelinka said of James, the team’s leader for the last eight seasons and the architect of the last title achieved in 2020.
“He has given so much to his teammates, to this organization. What we want most is to repay that honor,” Pelinka said. “The first thing we must do is give him the time he needs to decide the next step, to know if he wants to play one more season in the NBA.”
“All teams, including ours, would be delighted to have LeBron James on their roster. It is a blessing in itself,” added the manager, sitting next to the coach. JJ Redick.
“It is clear that he is the leader”
After the recognition of James, Pelinka stressed that his intention is to put together a competitive team around the Slovenian star Doncic, which seems incompatible with the Lakers offering LeBron a contract like the current one, in which he receives a salary of 52 million dollars per year.
“The archetype of the roster we want is going to adapt around Luka and the things he needs. It is clear that he is the leader and the player of the future around whom we want to build in the right way,” Pelinka said of Doncic, whose absence due to injury in these playoffs completely hindered the Lakers’ aspirations.
