LOS ANGELES — Clara Massey stood behind her walker and methodically moved in front of Crypto.com Arena after trekking from her nearby apartment. She was wearing a purple Los Angeles Lakers jersey, a purple Lakers cap and sunglasses with yellow frames (or, as any self-respecting Lakers fans would point out, Lakers gold.)
“I just come down, walk around and get the good energy and give the good energy,’’ Massey told USA TODAY Sports.
That pregame energy was mostly pro-LeBron James with the Lakers on the verge of elimination from the playoffs on Monday, May 11 and Game 4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder potentially being James’ last with the Lakers, if not the NBA altogether.
As tipoff grew closer, the moment prompted the following question: Has James' time with the Lakers been a failure?
Despite the fact James led the Lakers to a championship – the 17th in franchise history in 2020 that culminated in the NBA bubble in Walt Disney World in Florida. Despite the fact he became the NBA's all-time leading scorer in front of Lakers fans when he overtook Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Despite the dunks, the 3-pointers and, well, more than a few turnovers.
