LeBron James Recruited 6x All-Star for Lakers

LeBron James would do whatever it takes for his team to win and he even tried to get a six-time All-Star to the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron would gladly recruit players to join him in LA. He did the same in Cleveland and Miami. Los Angeles signed Anthony Davis and the kid from Akron did his thing.

Jake Fischer from Bleacher Report said that LeBron wanted to bring Damian Lillard in LA. Big Dame turned down the offer. In a recent feature, Fischer said Lillard loves his franchise. The Portland Trail Blazers did their best to surround him with talent.

“By all accounts, the Blazers centerpiece is perhaps the most loyal of NBA stars, hailed around the league as a rare breed of culture setter,” Fischer detailed. “He has long rebuffed recruiting attempts from rivals—and there have been plenty. In this league, LeBron James drafting Lillard to three straight All-Star squads is not coincidence.”

LeBron James brings power to the Lakers

This happened right after former NBA general manager Ryan McDonough reported LeBron’s recruiting pitch to Dame during the Audacy NBA Show. According to him, King James wanted to get Dame right after he signed with the Lakers in 2018.

“LeBron James has recruited superstar point guards before, who were under contract with another team,” McDonough explained, per Audacy. “We mentioned Steph Curry, but LeBron recruited Damian Lillard a few years ago, quietly, behind-the-scenes. I think it was in 2018 shortly after LeBron signed in LA with the Lakers. Damian Lillard… is one of the best players in the entire league, an MVP candidate, is very loyal to Portland and the Trail Blazers. But LeBron did recruit him, Scal [Brian Scalabrine], my sources tell me LeBron reached out to Lillard and said, ‘Hey, join me in LA and come play for the Lakers’ and Lillard obviously refused.”

In an episode of Million $ Worth of Game, Lillard shared the reasons he had to turn down the offer. He wouldn’t join superteams just to win.  He’d rather play his best game and lose.

LeBron had great plans with Lillard but the veteran didn’t want to sign with the franchise.