---
title: "Stephen A.: Lakers should have elevated level of appreciation for LeBron"
description: "Stephen A. Smith weighs in on whether the Lakers have taken LeBron James for granted."
url: https://sportopod.com/en-US/cluster/stephen-a-lakers-should-have-elevated-level-of-appreciatio-b51d60cf
published: 2026-05-14T15:39:31+00:00
updated: 2026-05-16T23:09:50.610377+00:00
author: "Kostadin Stamboliev"
publisher: "Pineido"
site: "Sportopod"
language: en
topics: ["basketball"]
---

# Stephen A.: Lakers should have elevated level of appreciation for LeBron

> Stephen A. Smith weighs in on whether the Lakers have taken LeBron James for granted.

Stephen A.

Smith argues the Lakers should show a higher level of appreciation for LeBron James, framing the debate around whether Los Angeles has become too comfortable with the production, leverage and spotlight he still brings.

It is classic Lakers-LeBron discourse: loud, personal, and impossible to ignore because every public read on his future can bend the franchise conversation.

## Why this matters

LeBron remains the Lakers’ gravitational force, and any suggestion that the organization is taking him for granted feeds directly into the bigger question of how long this partnership can keep working.

## Sources & Citations

- [Stephen A.: Lakers should have elevated level of appreciation for LeBron](https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/48769360/lakers-elevated-level-appreciation-lebron) — ESPN (2026-05-14)

---

Cite: Stephen A.: Lakers should have elevated level of appreciation for LeBron. Sportopod, 2026-05-14. https://sportopod.com/en-US/cluster/stephen-a-lakers-should-have-elevated-level-of-appreciatio-b51d60cf