Welp:

LeBron: “I definitely thought long and hard about the possibilities of lining up alongside Ben and Embiid, lining up alongside (James) Harden and Chris (Paul). I just, I felt like this point in my career, the ultimate for me.. just like when I went to Miami, everyone kind of looks at me joining a super team. But people look at, I think Miami was 35 and 47 the year before I joined that team. And you can look at the Lakers’ record from (that same viewpoint). So I like the challenge. I like the challenge of being able to help a team get to some places that they haven’t been in quite a while. Obviously the Lakers haven’t made the playoffs in a few years, but the Lakers organization, a historical franchise, matches up there with all the greats. You can look at the Cowboys, you can look at the Patriots, you can look at Manchester United, Boston Celtics. These are historical franchises. For me to be a part of that, it’s a great moment not only for me, but for my family and for the history of basketball in general.”

Yeah, the Lakers have really suffered. Haven’t won a title in a whopping 8 years. That’s “quite a while” I guess.

I personally think they need to be irrelevant for at least 15-20 more before returning to prominence.

Anyway, there’s your explanation as to why King James joined LA.