LeBron brings ‘championship habits’ to Lakers

James discusses his decision to sign with Los Angeles at opening of his Akron elementary school.

AKRON, Ohio – By simply playing for a franchise like the Lakers, with their 16 NBA titles and Hall of Famers galore, LeBron James said you should be thinking championship.

“There’s no reason you should become a Laker, became a Yankee, become part of Man U, become part of some franchise or clubs and you don’t think about winning championships or winning at the highest level,” James said Monday. “That’s what the history is all about.”

Speaking with reporters at the opening of his I Promise School for the first time since announcing his decision to play for the Lakers, James didn’t promise a championship by the end of the 2018-19 season with the historic organization backed by owner Jeanie Buss, president of basketball operations Magic Johnson, general manager Rob Pelinka and coach Luke Walton, who was drafted in the same class as James in 2003.

“You guys know me, when it comes to championship habits, that doesn’t mean you’re bringing a championship,” James said. “But you practice those habits every day, and I expect that not only from myself, but from my teammates. That’s what Jeanie, that’s what Magic, that’s what Rob wants. That’s what Luke is going to want. We shouldn’t sell ourselves short of that.”

James settled on the Lakers on the first day of free agency July 1, hours after meeting with Johnson in Los Angeles. Going to the Lakers had been in the works to some degree before free agency began with James’ agent in communication with Johnson and Pelinka.

“I did my due diligence after the season on the pros and cons of a lot of different teams, including the Cavs, including Philadelphia, including Houston and Los Angeles,” James said. “It wasn’t as quick as it may seem. It just wasn’t as July 9th as it was before. After talking to my family more than anybody, I felt this was the next step in my journey.”

James joins a team that finished 3547 and in 11th place in the Western Conference last season. Just Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Josh Hart and Ivica Zubak remain from the squad. A bunch of newcomers — eyebrow-raising additions — fill out the roster: Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo, Michael Beasley and JaVale McGee.

It’s a hodgepodge of varying talent and unique characters.

“What my expectations are for the team, we don’t have any right now,” James said. “But we’re definitely going to be better than we were the previous year. … I think there’s going to be months where we’re really good, there’s going to be months where we’re not so good and that’s just going to come from familiarity.”