What LeBron needs
The minute mark of this video is the sweet spot
Of all the blue blood college basketball programs, LeBron has the thinnest connection to Kansas. He has a history with John Calipari and Kentucky, although things have reportedly cooled down; UK basketball is far less cool than it once was. Because of USA Basketball—a connection that US head coach Mike Krzyzewski uses to his advantage at every opportunity—LeBron’s friendly enough with Duke to the point where he told reporters that he wants Bronny to go there. (Bronny won’t have to bother with college by the time he’s 18, but the King broadcasting such an opinion is a huge win for Duke recruiting). And although there’s not much out there about LeBron/UNC/Roy Williams, UNC is part of the Nike/Jordan basketball family that James essentially presides over.
KU has recruited Bronny, but they have a history of recruiting high profile prospects who will be entertaining other non-college options. There’s not much to draw off of here, but there is one thing I do know—that every LeBron title team has included a former Jayhawk, and that this should be talked up at every opportunity.
If you’re someone rooting for LeBron to win his fourth title—I’m a fan, although the fact that it would be for the Lakers is an annoying inconvenience—you’d be relieved to know that the Laker roster includes Markieff Morris, who has had a few good ones in the bubble. LeBron has mentioned the connection a few times, and seems to have fun with it. But can the Markieff/James link-up build an even stronger between LeBron and Kansas? Where can we go from here?
So, the timeline: LeBron has won three titles, and the two Jayhawks in question—Mario Chalmers (two titles with the Heat in 2012 and 2013) and Sasha Kahn (the Cavs title in 2016)—were members of the 2008 NCAA title team. Both players were on their respective NBA roster for the full year, although Kahn’s single season in the NBA was a mostly inactive one. (He got a big shout-out during the parade, though!). Markieff only joined the Lakers in February after a buyout with the Detroit Pistons; will it matter, in the long run, if Morris wasn’t on the roster the entire season like Chalmers and Kahn? Does that throw off the calculus somehow?
We’re about to find out now that it seems pretty likely that the Lakers will make the Finals.
A question I should have probably addressed earlier—does any of this matter? Yes, and no. LeBron has a lot of roster control (see: Smith, J.R.) and let’s just say he wins another title with the Lakers this fall. I have no idea how superstitious LeBron is or isn’t, but going forward, would he risk not having a Jayhawk on the roster, even if it was a ceremonial appointment? I think not, and that means continued Jayhawk employment for years. Ben McLemore knows what’s good:
If LeBron wants to—basketball is a financial side hustle to him at this point—he could hold down the NBA 5 position until he’s 45. That’s a full decade of Jayhawk sidekicks, hypothetically. Imagine this plays out favorably. It would be impossible for LeBron to deny the importance of KU basketball on his career, right? If you’re searching for a rooting interest as the NBA playoffs wind down, look no further.