Bill Reiter: LeBron James a ‘mercenary’ who didn’t love Los Angeles

LeBron James is extending his playing career with the Philadelphia 76ers after a surprising free agency decision left former teams in Cleveland and Miami missing out on another tenure with the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

While James finishing his career with the hometown team that drafted him would have been the perfect storybook ending, the door was also open for a return to Miami. Both rosters are stacked with talent and with LeBron would have been competitive in the Eastern Conference.

However, James surprised everyone by signing with the new-look Philadelphia 76ers and joining Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey in as impressive a starting five that exists in the Association. As he made clear in his announcement, James’ sole reason for choosing Philly was his desire to win one more ring.

We know there’s disappointment in Cleveland and Miami after missing out on a LeBron James reunion. But what about his former home in Los Angeles with the Lakers?

Well, if Bill Reiter’s reaction on 97.1 The Fan is any indication, it’s a lot like James’ entire tenure with the Lakers – cold.

Even though James spent eight years with the Lakers for the longest continuous stop of his career, he never felt truly beloved by the fanbase. It didn’t help that James’ only title with the team came without fans in the bubble. But the constant comparisons to Kobe Bryant and the fact that the Lakers were never really serious contenders for many years left a bland taste regarding his time in Tinseltown.

And Bill Reiter went as far as to say that James’ choice of the Sixers proved that the superstar is “an absolute mercenary.”

“He never loved LA. How do I know he never loved LA? Because he didn’t love Cleveland enough to go back to Cleveland when they were good… He’s an absolute mercenary.” @sportsreiter@DMAC_LA

Do you think LeBron James did the #Lakers dirty? pic.twitter.com/G8HTkfow5z

— 97.1 The Fan (@TheFanLA) July 27, 2026

“The point is he never loved LA. How do I know he never loved LA? Because he didn’t love Cleveland enough to go back to Cleveland when they were good and he’s from Akron. He didn’t love Miami enough to go back to Miami when they have Giannis and they have Bam. It just turns out, and it’s ok, you can be this thing, he’s an absolute mercenary,” Reiter said.

Bill Reiter then namedropped Kobe Bryant in saying that LeBron James never felt like part of the Lakers family because he was using the Lakers as a vehicle for his personal success.

“He’s not family. He wasn’t Kobe. He wasn’t half of the guys who have represented people in this city. So for me, as I process LeBron going to Philly, my takeaway isn’t he deserves he doesn’t deserve, it’s that he never loved LA for anything other than a vehicle to win and for his own glory and his own greatness. And that is totally acceptable and he’s an adult and he’s allowed to do that. But when you treat a place, especially Los Angeles, like it doesn’t matter? Like it only matters what it can give you in that moment? Then you’re not a part of that place and we have every right to go after that guy if we want to, just like he has every right to leave,” Reiter stated.

It’s a bizarre timeline that we’ve lived in where the NBA’s all-time leading scorer could play almost a decade for its flagship franchise and have it feeling so empty. But that’s probably the best word to describe the LeBron James Lakers era.

Did LeBron James love playing for the Lakers? Maybe? But his time in Los Angeles always felt like basketball wasn’ the only priority. It was about growing his personal brand and empire, whether that was his production company or his mansions in Brentwood and Beverly Hills. Perhaps that’s one reason why Lakers fans didn’t embrace James the way they did his predecessors as Lakers stars.

As for his next stop in Philadelphia, there are no preconceived notions or grand expectations for his love for the City of Brotherly Love. LeBron James could reportedly live in New York City while he plays for the 76ers. Of course, Philly fans also have a reputation of not being the most accepting in sports, but they likely won’t care as long as James and company deliver a championship.

The post Bill Reiter: LeBron James a ‘mercenary’ who didn’t love Los Angeles appeared first on Awful Announcing.