Earlier this month, LeBron James decided to re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers after previously opting out of his contract. For the first time since the 2010 season, James signed for less than a max contract, saving the Lakers some money. It was undoubtedly a surprising decision, but he explained it a bit this week.
During a recent interview with ESPN, LeBron James opened up a little bit about why he was willing to accept nearly $3 million less than a max contract, indicating that he thought it was in the best interest of the team.
“Because we are in a relationship, and anybody knows relationships, [knows that] it’s all about committing,” James told ESPN. “It’s also about doing things to help both sides. So, we’ve been in a working relationship going on seven years … so that’s what it’s about.”
In fact, James was actually willing to take even less money than he did in order to help land an impact player like Klay Thompson, James Harden, Jonas Valanciunas and DeMar DeRozan. But obviously, all of those players ultimately signed with other teams instead, so that was unnecessary.
Clearly, James is willing to make sacrifices to help this team as he looks for another NBA Championship.
