Dear Editor,

For pro basketball icon LeBron James, the recently completed 2021-2022 National Basketball Association season statistically was quite possibly perhaps the best for any player, playing in their 19th season, as was LeBron, who averaged a most impressive 37.2 minutes, 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.3 stats, and 1.1 blocked shots, as did LeBron in the 56 games he played in his team’s, the Los Angeles Lakers, 82 games in the regular season.

LeBron, who reportedly received a salary of $44.4 million, which translates to approximately $1 million per game, for the recently completed, and extremely disappointing, Lakers’ season, was unquestionably the key member of what may have been the team to have most miserably failed to live up to its gaudy pre-season expectations, as his Lakers’ teammates included: Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, and Carmelo Anthony, who were ranked respectively, as the #35, #42, and #59th best players in pro basketball history by “Slam” magazine, with LeBron ranking #2 all-time, behind only the legendary Michael Jordan.

The Lakers, however, in spite of all the talent, had an abysmal regular season record of 33 wins and 49 losses (a 40.9 winning percentage), with only seven teams out of 30 in the NBA having a worse record, and, as a result, the Lakers failed to make it into post-season play.

This for the team that was picked by most experts as the overwhelming pre-season favorites to win the NBA championship this season.

LeBron unceremoniously departed from his hometown franchise, the Cleveland Cavaliers, for a second time, which he had promised he would never do, following completion of the 2017-2018 NBA season, even though the Cavs had made it to the NBA championship during all four seasons during his second tenure with the team, including winning the NBA Championship for the 2015-2016 season, in order to join the storied franchise of the Los Angeles Lakers, who have won 17 NBA championships in their history, which is tied with the Boston Celtics for the most all-time.

However, for the most part LeBron’s four years with the Lakers to date have by no means lived up to expectations team-wise, with the Lakers failing to make the playoffs following his first season, followed by their winning the NBA Championship in the abbreviated “bubble” season in his second year, losing in the first round of the playoffs in his third season, and, again, failing to make the playoffs this past season.

LeBron’s greatness during his hall-of-fame career is unquestioned, as he is the only player in NBA history ot have scored over 30,000 points, with over 10,000 rebounds, and over 10,000 assists during his 19-year career thus far.

However, especially of late, it appears that oftentimes LeBron fails to make his teammates better on the court, and they must be subservient to him and sacrifice their talents in order to satisfy “the King.”

In spite of all this, as a longtime fan of the Cleveland Cavaliers, I am hopeful that LeBron may choose to leave the Lakers, and close out his NBA career with his “hometown team.”

LeBron, sadly, has never shown proper loyalty to his teams or his teammates as this is the third time to date that LeBron had chosen to abandon his team, although very successful, for “personal reasons,” one may only guess what his next move may be.

Richard Hord

Martins Ferry