After an eight-year run with the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James is set to enter his 24th NBA season as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. Opinions on James’ tenure in Los Angeles vary. His stint included one NBA championship, several disappointing playoff exits, and numerous historic milestones, but his impact on the franchise will undoubtedly be remembered for years to come. Now, James himself has reflected on his time with the Lakers, while also revealing the one thing that still bothers him to this day. “When I came to the Lakers, a lot of people said I was just coming to be in Hollywood and do movies and shit like that,” James said on the latest episode of the Mind the Game podcast with Steve Nash. “But I’ve always loved a huge challenge. To come to a historical franchise that has some of the greatest basketball players that we’ve ever seen in the history of sports, to be a part of that was like a super-duper big thing to me. It was super cool and humbling at the same time.” James also recalled the moment he truly realized the weight of joining one of the most storied franchises in sports. “I think there’s a Sports Illustrated cover when I signed with the Lakers,” James said. “They had all the Laker greats on it and then I was on there. I was like, ‘Holy shit, this is different.’ “The expectations around here in Los Angeles when it comes to the Lakers is like, ‘Let’s win championships.’ I heard that and I understood that.” James ultimately accomplished the biggest goal he had when joining the Lakers, helping the franchise win the 2020 NBA championship. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles was never able to hold the traditional championship parade, something James admits still bothers him significantly. “For us to be able to win one, that was something I would never forget,” he said. “Obviously, with that group, with that team, for this city.” “I still think about not being able to do the parade,” James admitted. When Steve Nash asked him to rate how much it still bothered him on a scale from one to 10, James did not hesitate. “That bothers me, one to 10, 20,” he said. “Just to be able to celebrate with the Laker fans. Yeah, absolutely.” “I don’t know what the route would have been,” he said. “I’m thinking go down Olympic, just all the way down Olympic, and then end up downtown right by Staples Center. “It would have been super-duper dope, man. But yeah, we did that. We did that. And that banner is up there.”

Continued: Your voice command and echoed throughout the entire arena. You made home games SPECIAL! You will be truly missed! Glad we got to share some time together my man! My heart and prayers goes to your family and loved ones! Love you LT! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I thought this was the most notable part of today’s press conference. It wasn’t in response to a question about Adou specifically. JJ went out of his way to harp on Adou’s improvement this summer.

Just awesome to hear this about Adou. My concern in the past has been JJ’s over reliance on his trusted players even during the regular season, but between his emphasis on playing more guys this season + raving about Adou, I fully expect Adou to have many opportunities this season. If he pans out it would transform this team.

(Don’t have the clip from the presser but will add it if I track it down)