Derek Fisher says a lot of Lakers fans have already turned the page on LeBron James, and he was blunt about how that reaction has looked from the outside.
Speaking on Yahoo Sports Daily, Fisher said he was surprised by the way some in Los Angeles responded after LeBron decided not to return.
“Like, a lot of people in L.A. didn’t love LeBron’s time here. It’s been confusing to me to see the reaction to him deciding not to return.
A lot of people have celebrated it. It’s almost been like a parade, like it’s the greatest thing ever.
I’m not saying it’s doomsday for the Lakers. I think the organization will be fine.
It’s been around for 80 years. But I’m definitely surprised by some of the reaction.
Yeah, I think a lot of fans have moved on.”
Fisher also tried to explain why LeBron never seemed to land in the same place emotionally with Lakers fans as Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O’Neal.
“I think part of it is that when you look at the Lakers’ all-time greats, many of them were essentially born and raised as Lakers. You think about James Worthy, the No. 1 overall pick.
You think about Magic Johnson. Even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was traded to Los Angeles, spent such a significant portion of his career here that he became part of the fabric of L.A.
The same goes for so many other greats. Even Shaq.
People almost forget he played in Orlando because his years with the Lakers defined him.”
“Then, of course, there’s Kobe spending 20 seasons in Los Angeles. I think those stars became who they were as Lakers. For a lot of Lakers fans, it was difficult to fully embrace the fact that LeBron was already LeBron before he ever got to Los Angeles.”
There’s some truth in that. By the time LeBron arrived in Los Angeles, he was already a four-time MVP, three-time champion, three-time Finals MVP, and the defining player of his generation. He didn’t arrive as a blank slate the way some Lakers icons did.
Still, the Lakers got plenty out of him.
Back in 2018, Los Angeles was not exactly the place every star wanted to be. The Lakers had missed the playoffs for five straight years, and the franchise had little momentum.
LeBron could have stayed in Cleveland, or he could have gone anywhere else in the league and watched teams carve out the cap space to bring him in. Instead, he picked the Lakers.
That choice changed things. Anthony Davis later arrived in a blockbuster trade, and within two seasons the Lakers were champions again, ending a 10-year wait. LeBron had helped drag the franchise back to the top tier of the league.
But the relationship never stayed smooth.
The Russell Westbrook trade and everything that followed reportedly created real tension between LeBron and the organization. From there, the bond kept fraying.
The ending was the part that stood out most. Reports said the Lakers never sat down with LeBron before free agency to talk through his return.
There were no conversations about a plan, no discussion of a future built around Luka Doncic while keeping LeBron in place. For a player who delivered a title and then accepted a smaller role after Luka arrived, it was a cold finish.
LeBron spent eight seasons carrying the Lakers through instability and front-office missteps, keeping the team relevant even when the roster around him kept changing.
His place in Lakers history still splits former players, too. Metta Sandiford-Artest, Robert Horry and Mychal Thompson have praised what he meant to the team, while Byron Scott said his Lakers run hurt his legacy. Olden Polynice said he does not belong in the top 10 players in franchise history, and Vlade Divac left him out of his top five all-time Lakers.
Whether the fan base has truly moved on is still up for debate. But Fisher’s point, and the larger reality around LeBron’s time in Los Angeles, is hard to miss: he brought the Lakers back, but he never fully became one of them.
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