Although LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, he has already cemented his place as the legend of this historic franchise. He also won an NBA title in his second season with the Lakers, along with the Finals MVP trophy as well. Last season, he came close to winning another championship but fell to the Nuggets in the Conference Finals. Although James teased his retirement, he rubbished all the rumors later. 

To win championships, Kobe Bryant has won the most titles (5), alongside some other Laker legends, like Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson. Many fans still consider Bryant to be the greatest player in franchise history. However, James has already beaten another Laker legend, Shaquille O’Neal, in one aspect, and he is really close to Bryant as well.

LeBron James beat Shaquille O’Neal, as he is getting closer to Kobe Bryant

As per Forbes, LeBron James’ net worth is around $1 billion, as he became NBA’s first billionaire. Interestingly, he earned most of his money in the last few seasons as a Laker. So far, James has earned $197,966,106 throughout his Lakers career; his total career earning is around $434,986,078. In the 2022-23 season, he was 4th in the league in terms of salary, as he earned $44,474,988. In terms of statistics, he averages 27.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 8.0 APG, 1.2 SPG, 50.7 FG%, and 34.6 3P% in five seasons.

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Interestingly, Shaquille O’Neal, who played 8 seasons with the Lakers, ranks below James in terms of total earnings as a Laker. He raked in a massive $144,749,716 during his time with the Lakers.

On the other hand, Kobe Bryant remains at the top of the table, as he earned around $328,237,108 in player salary in his 20 seasons with the Los Angeles side. Although he earned less at the beginning of his career, he became one of the highest-paid athletes in the league during the latter half of his career. In 2013-14, he earned $30,453,000, which was no.1 in the league. Certainly, it will be tough for James to catch Bryant, as he is nearing the end of his career.

James changed his jersey number once again

James is trying to emulate Bryant in every way possible, as he recently changed his jersey number from 6 to 23. Notably, Bryant wore 2 jerseys, 8 and 24, throughout his Laker career. The Lakers decided to retire both of his jerseys.

Initially, James wore the no.23 on his back; however, he changed it to 6 in the 2021-22 season. Now, he will change it back to 23 for the 2023-24 season, out of respect for Bill Russell. It will be interesting to see if the Lakers give him the Bryant treatment and retire both his jerseys.

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