The LA Lakers management were all smiles when they landed LeBron James, but it seems like not everyone in the City of Angels like him.
James sent shockwaves around the league when he decided to join the LA Lakers on a four-year deal worth $154 million. The fans in LA praised his decision by creating a "King of LA" mural in the city. However, the painting generated major backlash, as some of the team's fans has yet to accept James as the new face of the franchise.
Nonetheless, not everyone was very excited with the arrival of the four-time Most Valuable Player into the city, as some fans vandalized the mural with phrases such as "LeFraud," "No King," "We don't want you," and "3-6." According to the restaurant security cameras near the area, people started the act early Sunday morning at around 1 a.m. after a Twitter user offered a $300 reward to anyone who eradicates the mural.
"I'm offering $300 to anyone who destroys this mural and shares a video," @BenOsaze wrote on Twitter.
The mural painting has been touched up with the word "of" deleted to stop the hatred toward the art. Muralist Jonas Never and graffiti artist Fernando Valdez, who was responsible for the art, decided to remove the word "of" in the restored version, citing that it is an offending word.
James Needs To Lead Lakers to Title
Pundits are certain that James should help the LA Lakers capture its 17th championship title to minimize the hate, stating that sometimes one player can make a difference. It can be brought to mind that the LA Lakers had a dismal NBA Finals record of 2-8 win-loss before Magic Johnson played with the team in 1979.
However, James and the LA Lakers will have an acid test ahead as they look to make a huge impact in a wild Western Conference that features the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets. Earlier this off-season, the Warriors beefed up their lineup by signing All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins into a one-year $5.3 million deal.
Cousins had a decent year with the New Orleans Pelicans last season, registering season averages of 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.6 blocks. The 27-year-old Cousins, who suffered an Achilles tendon injury, is set to return to the court in January or February.
On the other hand, the LA Lakers have also added key pieces to surround James by signing Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and JaVale McGee. Rondo is coming off a brilliant year with the Pelicans wherein he averaged 10.3 points, 12.2 assists, and 7.6 rebounds in nine playoff games.
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