LeBron James’ marriage with the Los Angeles Lakers has been a complicated one. As crazy as it sounds, James just completed his seventh season in the purple and gold and is under contract for at least one more. After missing the playoffs in year one with a young roster, James delivered a championship in 2019-20, giving the Lakers their 17th title.

Unfortunately, since then, the LeBron era in Los Angeles has hardly gone swimmingly. From 2021-2025, LA has been in the play-in tournament three times, missed the playoffs once, and has only won two postseason series. Poorly timed trades, cheap ownership, coaching changes and lots of drama have prevented any meaningful progress for the franchise in the last half-decade.

In February, LA shocked the world by acquiring Luka Doncic in the middle of the night in what was one of the most shocking trades in league history. Now their franchise trajectory is aimed at the future, with the 40-year-old James just sort of lingering around until he retires.

Although time is running out in the LeBron James/Lakers era, he’s still undoubtedly been a great member of the storied franchise, both on and off the floor. Even though he spent the twilight years of his career in Hollywood, James has easily been one of the best players in the team’s history.

Back in 2022, LeBron gave his all-time Lakers starting lineup. It featured a couple of notable omissions that sent LA fans into a frenzy.

PG: Magic Johnson

At point guard, LeBron chose the only candidate for the Lakers’ all-time lineup: Magic Johnson. Johnson is arguably the greatest point guard of all-time and is a consensus top-ten player in NBA history, and he played all of his 13-year career in the City of Angels.

Johnson’s Lakers accolades are more than impressive: 12-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, and a three-time league MVP. He won five championships in the 1980s, beginning in his rookie year, in which he took home Finals MVP at age 20. He would earn three Finals MVPs in his career.

Magic’s 12.3 assists per game rank first all-time by a wide margin. He’s on the short list of the best passers to ever play, with his incredible playmaking gifts helping him lead the Showtime Lakers of the 80s. Magic’s greatest accomplishment isn’t a stat or award; rather, his ability to make the players around him better, which is also LeBron’s greatest gift.

Although it was an obvious choice, it’s interesting to see James giving Johnson credit, as he clearly modeled many parts of his game after the legend. Playing point guard at six-foot-nine now might seem normal, with several players in today’s NBA doing so, but Johnson was one of the pioneers of the point-forward build.

SG: Jerry West

At shooting guard, James displayed reverence towards one of the original titans of the NBA: Jerry West. West, whose silhouette is the NBA logo, is both one of the greatest players ever, but also has one of the more tragic basketball stories. West appeared in nine NBA Finals series in his storied career, and was only able to win ONE, in 1972.

Jerry had a truly heartbreaking career, losing eight times in the Finals, with four of those coming in Game 7. To make matters worse, none of the losses were ever his fault, as West remains one of the most clutch players in league history. Fortunately, instead of dismissing his work for all the big losses, as we would do today, West’s career is well-respected across eras.

His achievements are endless: 14 All-Star appearances, 12 All-NBA teams, and five All-Defensive honors. He won the 1969 Finals MVP in a series he lost, still the only person to do so. His 27 points per game ranks seventh all-time.

However, West’s accolades aren’t what made him special. He’s one of the best ambassadors for the sport that the league has had, which resonates with LeBron, who also fills that role. West spent time as a player, coach, and executive for several franchises in what is perhaps the best basketball life anyone has had.

SF: Kobe Bryant

At small forward, James chose to play Kobe Bryant out of position in an effort to get both West and Bryant in the lineup. James, who has always struggled with winning over the Kobe-first Lakers fans, was sure to put Bryant on his all-time lineup.

With that said, Kobe more than earned his position on this list. He’s arguably the greatest Laker of all-time, winning five championships in his 20-year career. No player spent longer with just the Lakers than Kobe Bryant, and he was sure to make them count.

Bryant is a welcome addition to this lineup because of his two-way mastery. With a backcourt of Johnson and West, who are both credible defenders but not lockdown, Bryant gives them an option to guard the opponent’s best player. Kobe was a 18-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA member, and made 12 All-Defensive squads in his career.

Kobe would also be the team’s primary isolation option that this group lacks at times. His relentless addiction to detailed footwork and training allowed him to be a mid-range assassin for two decades. Kobe’s competitive fire will also be needed on a squad that isn’t the nastiest bunch.

PF: Anthony Davis

At power forward, James initially chose himself before changing his pick to then-teammate Anthony Davis. Davis, who won’t appear on many all-time Lakers lists because his tenure was cut short prematurely by the out-of-nowhere Luka Doncic trade, is actually a phenomenal fit on this team, even though his achievements in LA pale in comparison to other options.

Although he is a solid offensive star in his own right (24.1 career PPG), Davis’ value to a squad like this is all on the defensive side of the ball. The 32-year-old is a five-time All-Defensive team member and a five-time blocks champion, but has somehow failed to win a Defensive Player of the Year award yet, despite being arguably the best defender of his era.

Davis has a credible case as the best two-way player since 2010, and is one of the very best defenders in NBA history. His versatility is what makes him great, as Davis can protect the paint better than anyone but can also switch out onto the perimeter and check quick guards with ease.

Few players in league history have been able to switch as effectively at six-foot-ten as Davis has. He and Bryant form a terrifying defensive frontcourt.

C: Shaquille O’Neal

Here’s where it gets controversial: James took Shaquille O’Neal at center over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who is the most accomplished basketball player ever and a sneaky candidate for the greatest player of all-time. Now, O’Neal won three titles in LA and was as dominant as they come, but Abdul-Jabbar definitely did more for the franchise.

Nonetheless, James picked O’Neal for that dominance, and it’s tough to disagree. LeBron, as always, took an analytical approach, stating that the lineup needed more size in the paint if he or AD is going to play the four.

O’Neal had what is likely the best statistical stretch of NBA Finals play in modern history. Over three Finals from 2000-02, Shaq averaged 35.9 points and 15.2 rebounds in 15 games, securing Finals MVP each time on a team featuring Kobe Bryant. Fans will never see a player of that size move like prime Shaq did, and the numbers reflect that.