LeBron James Murals Around Los Angeles Are Being Vandalized By Lakers Fans

However in the bag Lakers fans might be for young Lonzo Ball, LeBron James joining the Lakers is the first unambiguously positive thing to happen for that organization since Kobe Bryant retired after the 2016 regular season. They’ve been operating in a state of increasing irrelevance since they won their last title, in 2010, and reached such a sorry state prior to this summer that even the acquisition of the greatest basketball player in the world wasn’t enough to overcome, for example, the relative merits of Oklahoma City in the mind of hometown kid Paul George.

But LeBron’s arrival hasn’t been met with the universal joy you might expect!

Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN says this is the second LeBron mural to be vandalized in Los Angeles this month:

Earlier this month, local muralist Jonas Never produced artwork featuring James in a Lakers jersey with the message “King of LA” on a wall at the Baby Blues BBQ restaurant in Venice. The mural was first vandalized with spray paint that read, “We Don’t Want You” and “No King,” as well as “3-6,” an apparent reference to James’ record in the NBA Finals.

I can’t decide what irritates me more: a fawning mural describing LeBron James as “King of LA” before he’s played his first game in a Lakers jersey, or the existence of at least one Lakers fan who actively would not want LeBron James to join a team that is otherwise banking its future on Lonzo Ball developing that hideous jumper into a weapon that can be used against anyone other than his own teammates.

Has anyone checked Kobe’s hands for white paint under the fingernails.