{"id":3396,"date":"2026-07-01T21:09:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T21:09:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3396"},"modified":"2026-07-01T21:09:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T21:09:17","slug":"listen-so-long-lebron-what-the-lakers-shakeup-means-for-the-nba-and-for-l-a-s-sports-star-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3396","title":{"rendered":"LISTEN: So Long, LeBron! What the Lakers Shakeup Means for the NBA and for L.A.\u2019s Sports Star Power"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\n\tOn today\u2019s episode of \u201cDaily Variety\u201d podcast, <em>Variety<\/em>\u2019s Marlow Stern unpacks LeBron James\u2019 decision to leave the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons and one championship title. The shakeup leaves one of the NBA\u2019s most high-profile teams a little short on star power.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3394\">\u2018NCIS\u2019 Brings Back Michael Weatherly as Tony DiNozzo for Season 24<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"pmc-protected-embed\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"180\" id=\"pmc-protected-embed-2\" loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/omny.fm\/shows\/strictly-business\/daily-variety-so-long-lebron-what-the-lakers-shakeup-means-for-the-nba-and-for-l-a-s-sports-star-power\/embed?media=audio&amp;size=wide&amp;style=cover\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\n\tJames is undeniably one of the greatest to ever play the game. But as he leaves the Los Angeles Lakers, the team is at a crossroads and in need to rebuilding. Crucially, for an L.A. team, it\u2019s in need of recruiting some marquee names \u2014 or nurturing the next Shaq or Kobe. <\/p>\n<p>\n\tJames\u2019 prowess on the court has been overshadowed in recent years by his heavy-handed approach to steering his son, Bronny James, to the Lakers. Stern, who is <em>Variety<\/em>\u2018s chief correspondent and a devoted NBA fan, says the Bronny James situation has frustrated some fans. LeBron James\u2018 decision came a day after the Lakers\u2019 secured a two-year deal with Bronny. And LeBron is also thinking about his legacy, Stern opines.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3392\">How Path\u00e9\u2019s \u2018De Gaulle\u2019 Fought Its Way Back at the French Box Office With a Push from YouTuber  Inoxtag That Lured Younger Crowds<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cWith his son\u2019s future secured, I think LeBron decided that it was time to move on. And honestly, I think he also looked at the team and the setup and realized that they probably won\u2019t win a championship next year. And I think what he really wants more than anything is a fifth NBA title,\u201d Stern says. \u201cHe wants to basically have more titles than Steph Curry and be the player of his generation with the most NBA titles. He wants to inch closer to Michael Jordan, who has six NBA titles. The constant refrain is who\u2019s the GOAT of the NBA? And it\u2019s always between Michael Jordan and LeBron. And LeBron is very aware of these conversations and has been asked about them ad nauseum. And so I think winning a fifth title for him is really important.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n<strong><em>Listen to Daily Variety<\/em><\/strong><em><strong>\u00a0on\u00a0iHeartPodcasts,\u00a0Apple Podcasts, Variety\u2019s\u00a0YouTube Podcast\u00a0channel,\u00a0Amazon Music,\u00a0Spotify\u00a0and other podcast platforms.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3391\">Fox Promotes Tubi PR Executive Seana Sullivan to Corporate Communications<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On today&#8217;s &#8216;Daily Variety&#8217; podcast, Variety&#8217;s Marlow Stern unpacks what LeBron James&#8217; decision to leave the Lakers means for the NBA and for L.A.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[775,2793,2794],"class_list":["post-3396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tv","tag-daily-variety","tag-lebron-james","tag-los-angeles-lakers"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>LISTEN: So Long, LeBron! 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