It’s hard not to notice the turmoil surrounding LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s amazing to think the season started so well without him – 10-4 before his season debut – but now they are faltering since his return – 24-20 since his debut. With each passing game, this Lakers’ season feels more and more lost. One Lakers legend believes that it’s time for both sides to part ways this summer.
3-Time Lakers Champion Byron Scott Wants LeBron James Out
Byron Scott, who played with the Lakers from 1983 to 1993 and 1996 to 1997, answered in the affirmative when asked if James should leave LA this summer. During his appearance on Power 106 Los Angeles’ “Brown Bags,” Scott explained his hope that James will move on this summer.
“I’m a fan, but I don’t mince words,” Scott said. “I think this should be his last year (in LA)… Just (LA). You don’t have to go home, but you got to get the hell out of here.”
Former Laker Byron Scott wants LeBron off his team.
“I think this should be his last year here… You don’t have to go home, but you got to get the hell out of here.”😳
(h/t @TheNBABase )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 27, 2026
During his playing days, Scott never made an All-Star team with the Lakers, but he was a vital part of three Lakers championships in 1985, 1987, and 1988, and helped them reach the NBA Finals in 1984, 1989, and 1991. He is very well remembered as a Lakers player.
Scott may not have been close to the player James is and has been, but it’s fair to say that life was easier for the Lakers during his time there. Even if they weren’t winning the title, no one underestimated them as a threat throughout the 1980s.
James is one of the best players in NBA history, but it’s fair to suggest that his Lakers tenure has been a roller coaster, just like it’s fair to suggest that, despite how good he still is, there may have been more lows than highs, and that the rut the team is currently going through is the last straw.
It’s not just that the Lakers have been struggling; their body language is simply poor. Their poor play led to their most recent loss against the Phoenix Suns last night, who didn’t have Devin Booker or Dillon Brooks.
It certainly raised a lot of eyebrows that the team opted against extending James before the season started, and that understandably has upset him. He’s playing like someone who knows that his time with the Lakers is over. It’s gotten to the point where it would be more understandable to everyone if he left than it would be if he stayed.
That’s not an attack on James at all. Simply put, the writing is on the wall.
