LeBron James was the standout player at the Olympics. It’s a disgrace that the Lakers are squandering his brilliance.
PARIS – He stepped onto the court in shoes as gleaming and golden as the medal he would soon drape around his neck for the third, and possibly final, time in his career.
For LeBron James, the choice of gold shoes was symbolic: a declaration of his intentions at the Olympics, his mission for Team USA, and the culmination of his basketball journey leading to another gold medal.
Even at age 39, James didn’t come to Paris just to help his country win a tournament. He had a point to prove. As long as he’s playing basketball, no one will outshine him.
LeBron still has it. He was the standout player at the Olympics, earning the tournament’s MVP award. His ability to dominate a game remains unmatched by nearly anyone in the world.
This raises a critical question beyond his recent performance: How are the Los Angeles Lakers mismanaging this phase of his career so poorly?
Despite being named All-NBA third team, I thought James had finally started to decline last season. With significant investments in James and Anthony Davis, it seemed the Lakers were doomed to remain an aging team stuck in play-in purgatory as James inevitably slowed down until retirement.
Maybe the Lakers thought so too. That might explain why Rob Pelinka has been inactive this offseason, failing to make any roster improvements for a team that went 47-35 last season and finished seventh in the Western Conference.
But after witnessing James dominate at the Olympics, I’m now furious with the Lakers’ front office for their complacency over the past few years while time ticks away on this extraordinary career.
Sure, he’s not the defender he once was, and you can’t play him 82 games a season like before. But those are the only concessions James has made to time in his late 30s.
His physical abilities remain elite. His passing is phenomenal. His game-reading and decision-making might be at their peak. When he decides to charge to the rim like a freight train, no one in the world can stop him.
Can James still lead a team to an NBA title? How could anyone watch these Olympics and think otherwise?
Even on a team brimming with superstars, he stood head and shoulders above the rest. When it’s America’s best against the world’s best, there’s no question who delivers.
In this tournament, no one else could have done it.
Anthony Edwards lacked the clout. Jayson Tatum was just along for the ride. The players expected to eventually replace James as the face of American basketball weren’t ready for this moment.
Ultimately, this team was built for James to have one final Olympic run, with a few of his true NBA peers by his side.
From training camp to exhibitions and through the final game, everyone else on the team experienced ups and downs. Steph Curry went from struggling early on to sinking a flurry of 3-pointers that secured the gold against France. Kevin Durant had to battle back from injury. Joel Embiid was impactful at times, but out of place at others.
James, however, was a constant presence. He averted potential humiliations against South Sudan and Germany. He was the driving force for the Americans in the preliminary rounds. When the pressure mounted against Serbia, James led Team USA to victory. In the gold medal game against France, he orchestrated the offense with 14 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists in nearly 33 minutes of play.
Even on a star-studded team, this gold medal was only possible because James donned the red, white, and blue one more time. Approaching his 40th birthday, his performance was unparalleled.
And what are the Lakers doing with this national treasure? Selling tickets and running out the clock.
There likely aren’t many great years left, but these Olympics demonstrated that it’s still worth it for the Lakers to capitalize on them—trading draft picks, mortgaging the future, whatever it takes.
He remains one of the best players on the planet, and there’s no time to waste. What are they waiting for?
James will be 43 years old when the next Summer Olympics come to Los Angeles, and it’s hard to believe he’ll still be this kind of player four years from now. But with LeBron James, you don’t just have to allow for the impossible. You have to imagine it.
Team USA did and was rewarded with a gold medal. Now it’s the Lakers’ turn.
