LeBron James says playing for the Lakers is ‘a dream come true’

It’s been pretty quiet on the LeBron James front since the 33-year-old All-Star signed with the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this month. With the exception of a brief appearance at the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League, James has kept a low-profile since making his league-altering decision to join the Lakers. That all changed on Sunday.

On the eve of his first scheduled public appearance since signing with the Lakers, James released a video through Uninterrupted expressing his excitement for the grand opening of his school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio on Monday and the next chapter of his playing career in Los Angeles.

“This is, this is kinda like a dream come true for me,” James said in the video. “You know, growing up I was a Cowboys fan, I was a Bulls fan, I was a Yankees fan, and I’ve always felt like that was like one of the historic franchises. You look at the Lakers, being able to play for a historic franchise you know, with so much history you know.”

James mentioned he’s especially excited to learn from Lakers president of basketball operations and franchise legend Magic Johnson, who James said he grew up idolizing.

However, as much as James recognizes the history of the Lakers with legendary players like Magic, he’s more focused on getting his team back to its previously perpetual title-winning standard.

“For me to be in this position now, the excitement that I have to be a Laker, I’m happy to be a part of it, because I believe the Lakers are a historical franchise. We all know that. But it’s a championship franchise, and that’s what we’re trying to get back to, and I’m happy to be a part of the culture and be a part of us getting back to that point.”

With a young, unproven roster and an eccentric supporting cast of veterans, the growing belief around the league is that James won’t compete for a title in his first season with the Lakers, which is fine, but don’t expect James to be thinking the same.

At every stop in his 15-year-career, James has built a contender virtually overnight. We’re talking about a guy that hasn’t missed the playoffs since “Joey” was still on the air and has made an appearance in the last eight NBA Finals.

You can bet against LeBron James all you want, but I personally wouldn’t.

James will take the floor with his new team in just over two months. Until then, enjoy this video of his highlights from his 15th year in the league. Sheesh.

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