NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates 
While the message of President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick’s press conference on Thursday was one of excitement for the future, it started out with a brief acknowledgment of the past.
LeBron James’ departure this offseason ended his eight-year tenure with the Lakers, the longest single stretch with any franchise in his career. As much as both sides may have been ready to move on, they still accomplished a lot during their time together in Los Angeles.
Advertisement
“I thought it would be appropriate, just at the front, to express gratitude for the LeBron era here,” Pelinka said on Thursday. “Clearly new team, new players, and that’s what we’re going to talk about today, but we, just as an organization, are still grateful for the run that we had with him here. The Lakers have become, as they should, a perennial playoff team, won a championship, went to the Western Conference Finals, and it was a great era and we’re grateful for it.”
After a regular season which started rocky with LeBron on the sideline before he needed time to slot in as a third fiddle behind Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, the dynamic seemed to change a bit in the playoffs when LeBron showed his value once again.
There were also questions about who actually decided to end the partnership. When asked about that at his presser, Pelinka dodged the question while still praising LeBron.
“Again, we’re grateful for the LeBron era and I think the communications with him this offseason were held diplomatically and professionally and honestly,” Pelinka said. “I’m just so thankful for the partnership we had that continued up until this summer when a decision was made for him to play for another team. It was done amicably, professionally, gracefully.
Advertisement
And again, we looked at the whole thing with gratitude because it’s been an incredible era for us here.”
As for LeBron’s take, he spoke about his time with the Lakers on the latest episode of his Mind the Game podcast.
“A lot of people said when I came to the Lakers, like I was just coming to be in Hollywood and be in movies and shit like that. But I’ve always loved a…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lebron-james-rob-pelinka-closed-201715631.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-09-26 20:17:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
