Rejected by Los Angeles and riddled with injuries: Revisiting LeBron James' debut season with the LA Lakers

LeBron James will appear in his fourth season with the LA Lakers in 2021-2022. He has now become a true Laker, loved by the team's fans all over the world. However, that was not always the case. On July 1, 2018, when the Lakers announced the acquisition of the four-times NBA champion, the city of Los Angeles downright rejected the move.

He was hated beyond measure. This hate erupted from the love for Kobe Bryant and the legacy he had left behind. Many believed James to be a man chasing super teams. Especially in the wake of his time with the Miami Heat Big 3 where LeBron James joined the duo of Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade to create one of the most formidable trios in the modern history of the NBA.

Purple and gold fans called Bron a glory seeker, a player looking to smudge the legacy Kobe Bryant had created with the LA Lakers. His murals were vandalized around the city and his Twitter account was bombarded with hate comments. But since then, the LA Lakers fans have always been a tough crowd to please. In LeBron's own words, shared by Harrison Faigen via his Twitter account, James discussed how difficult it is to win the trust of Showtime fans.

LeBron James Said: ""What I've learned from being a Laker is that the Laker faithful don't give a damn about what you've done before... Until you've done it as a Laker, they don't care."

For the longest time King James was the Villain in the league. What the Miami Heat and Co. did to teams all around the league from 2010-11 to 2013-14 had left a lasting impact on not just the LA Lakers but the whole league. LeBron had been deemed a villain, a role he accepted in the beginning but could not shake off even as he left the Cleveland Cavaliers.

But for Lakers fans to hate a player who had gone back to his first ever team to help them win a championship was unjustified. The man battled a seemingly unstoppable Golden State Warriors for four consecutive finals.

Facing the might of Kevin Durant, the Splash Brothers and Draymond Green with only Kevin Love and JR Smith by his side in 2017-18, LeBron James had redeemed himself. He was no longer a player seeking glory, therefore, the reaction by the LA Lakers was unjustified and illogical. If James was indeed a glory seeker, why would he join a team that had not played in the playoffs for four consecutive seasons?

Fans have since warmed-up to the idea of King James doning the purple and gold jersey, after the former Cleveland Cavaliers player helped Showtime win their 17th championship in 2020. It took a championship win for LeBron James, a player often considered the greatest of all-time, to win the trust of the Los Angeles crowd.

LeBron James suffered a groing Injury in his debut season with the LA Lakers

For James, rejection by LA fans was not the only problem in his debut with the LA Lakers. The team couldn't make the playoffs, a first for LBJ since 2005-06. To top it off, in the Christmas Day match against the Golden State Warriors, he suffered one of the worst injuries of his career.

LeBron James tore his groin in the third quarter of that unfateful game held on December 25, 2018. The injury essentially destroyed all long awaited hopes of the LA Lakers reaching the playoffs.

Despite the backlash and injury, Bron remained a ferocious scorer in the 55 games he played for the team in his debut season with them. However, his emergence as an exceptional playmaker was something that had been building for seasons but finally took shape in his debut with the LA Lakers.

As undeniable proof of his strength, LeBron James put up brilliant performances for a team whose fan base despised his very presence on their court. In the 2018-19 season, James averaged 27.4 points, 8.3 assists and 8.5 rebounds. Proving all those critical of his potential as a 34-year-old player wrong.

LeBron James is now a beloved member of the prestigious LA Lakers family. He has won the trust of the fans and helped the team come back from the playoffs drought post the 2012-13 season. In the upcoming season, he will lead the team to a much anticipated championship campaign alongside players like Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis.