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The LA Lakers were hunting for a third star last summer, and LeBron James reportedly wanted to acquire DeMar DeRozan. It is widely known that DeRozan wanted to play with the Lakers as well before he eventually signed with the Chicago Bulls.
DeRozan was reportedly giddy to learn that his hometown team wanted to sign him. But Rob Pelinka and company decided to go in a different direction and sign another Los Angeles native, Russell Westbrook.
The Lakers ended up having a massively disappointing 33-49 campaign as they didn't even make the play-in tournament. On the other hand, DeRozan had one of the best seasons of his career, finishing 10th in MVP voting.
It was like a dagger in the hearts of Lakers fans when they learned that James wanted DeRozan as well. Cari Champion, a CNN journalist who was formerly with ESPN, recently met James at a party, and the King said he wanted the five-time All-Star. On her podcast "Naked with Cari Champion," she said:
"I talked to LeBron about it. I ran into him at an event, and he goes, 'Well, I was trying to get DeMar.' I was just like, 'Stop it!'"
Both had incredible seasons with their franchises. Certainly, teammates and the locker room environment made a difference. But if they had teamed up, the Lakers would surely have had a better season than their 11th-place finish.
On the other hand, Westbrook had the worst season since his sophomore year in the league. He averaged less than 20 points per game for the first time in 11 years, and he did so while shooting abysmal splits of 44/29/66.
LeBron James might pursue a career in television after retirement
LeBron James has always been savvy with the media. He doesn't engage in trash talk or derogatory comments with media members and only appears on select podcasts and interviews. He has been on numerous talk shows and given plenty of speeches. Moreover, there is no doubt in any NBA fan's mind that James is a gifted basketball player with arguably the highest IQ in the game.
If King James were to pursue a career in television, he would certainly be good at it. Many of his peers and friends have taken up roles in the media and sports entertainment industry such as Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal and Draymond Green.
In the latest episode of HBO's "The Shop," James mentioned how pro football legend Tom Brady inspired him to consider TV work after his playing days are over. He said:
"Yeah, when I seen how much (Brady) signed for, you’re damn right I did. I’d do it for sure. … I mean, one, my knowledge of the sport and being able to have my insight on the sport and still be around the game. I want to stay around the game for sure, forever."
James already has a production house under the name Uninterrupted and a famous podcast "Road Trippin." He has a gigantic platform on "HBO's The Shop" and recently was the star in a movie, "Space Jam." He is involved in the media business at a huge level, and joining the television industry is not a far-fetched idea.
Guess the Lakers players!
