Glamour show with LeBron

LOS ANGELES — From George Mikan to Kobe Bryant, superstars have been the Lakers' lifeblood for decades.

LeBron James is already the biggest star of his generation, and he followed a familiar path to Los Angeles' bright lights when he decided to sign with the Lakers as a free agent.

It's no coincidence that this glamorous, 16-time champion franchise has consistently attracted already great players with outsized ambition. The 33-year-old James has taken on the challenge that Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal all accepted near the primes of their careers.

Becoming a basketball superstar is one thing, and nobody is bigger than James after 15 prolific NBA seasons and three championships. Succeeding with the Lakers is something different, according to many of the men who have worn this gold jersey.

Just ask Bryant, who won two Olympic gold medals as James' teammate while spending his entire 20-year career with the Lakers.

"The NBA does better when the Lakers are at their highest potential," Bryant, who retired in 2016, told Fox Sports Radio on Monday. "And for the city of LA, it's important for us to have that star power. Jerry (West) was here. Elgin Baylor was here. Wilt was here. Magic was here. Cap (Abdul-Jabbar) was here. Shaq, myself, and now let's carry it forward again. You've got LeBron here now. It's his turn now. Hopefully he can — which he will — take this franchise back to prominence." AP