Los Angeles Lakers: 3 takeaways from the 2018 offseason

2. Los Angeles still has off-court appeal

Outside of being the glamour franchise of the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers have been a destination to build one’s brand off the court with the opportunities that Hollywood and L.A. present to a player. These ideals have been tested in recent seasons with free agents opting to (and successfully) building their brands in smaller markets instead of bolting for the limelight of Los Angeles.

But the signing of LeBron James signals L.A. still has the shine to the off-court lifestyle it has to offer. The on-court program the Lakers are building is in the right direction with a strong core of four young players and a front office/coaching staff that is on the same page of players to bring in to incorporate with their style of basketball, which only enhances the appeal of the off-court branding.

LeBron is a brand wherever he goes, but clearly has aspirations to build his media company, UNINTERRUPTED, as well as grow his acting career after appearing in Trainwreck and potentially Space Jam 2. Chances to star in movies or run a multimedia company don’t present themselves like in Los Angeles, something LeBron probably took into account when making this decision.

The final factor sounds standoffish, but the weather and overall lifestyle of L.A. for LeBron’s family was too much to pass up. His kids (Bronny Jr. in particular) are budding athletes in middle school. The best athletic development and sports schools are in California, and they will be placed in the best places to succeed in their own endeavors.

Players are smarter in this day and age, so it’s not surprising that free agents stayed away from the Lakers while their franchise was poorly run. But now that they’re on the upturn, the off-court life of being a Laker in Los Angeles could be making a comeback itself.