The Los Angeles Lakers missed the NBA Playoffs for five straight seasons before LeBron James arrived and quickly rescued the franchise from their plummeting status among the top organizations in the league. A big-time thank you is owed to the Indiana Pacers for making that happen.
A recent episode of The Athletic's NBA Daily podcast featured Yaron Weitzman, author of the book titled A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers. In his novel, Weitzman touched on a key turning point which helped pave the way for James' exit from the Cleveland Cavaliers.