LeBron James Names 1985 Los Angeles Lakers As Team He Wishes He Played On

Corey Hansford
2 Min Read


Anytime there is a discussion on the greatest teams of all-time, the Los Angeles Lakers will always be brought up. Whether it’s the 2001 version that nearly swept through the playoffs, the 1972 version that won 33 straight games, or any number of championship teams in the 1980s, the Lakers have plenty of teams that could be considered for the distinction.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James is one of the NBA’s greatest players ever and he recently appeared on The Open Run podcast with Jesse Williams and Stefan Marolachakis.

During a ‘quickfire’ question and answer portion, James was asked which team in history he would’ve loved to play for, and he went with a classic Lakers team:

If you could play on any team in history, what team comes to mind?

LeBron: Oh wow. I would play on…give me the ’85 Lakers.

The 1985 Lakers as they were are already an excellent team that many consider the greatest ever. They won 62 games and were led by the Hall of Fame trio of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy. Quite frankly adding LeBron James to this roster would have been unfair.

James mentioned that one major reason he would want to play on this Lakers team is because they were a running team and he love to run up and down the floor. For that reason, his choice makes perfect sense as Magic leading a fast break with James on one side and Worthy on the other would be unstoppable. Any chance of the Celtics stopping that Lakers squad would be gone.

The ’85 Lakers are already considered by many as the greatest NBA team of all-time. James clearly recognized that, and his fit on such a team would be perfect, all of which makes his choice a no-brainer.

Corey Hansford is the Senior Editor for Lakers Nation, as well as a contributor for Dodger Blue, Rams News Wire, and Raiders News Wire. He is a passionate follower of the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chelsea FC, and the UFC. He can usually be seen arguing the merits of Kobe Bryant or cursing the decisions of Jerry Jones. He is also a former producer and associate producer for Sirius XM Sports Radio on both the Fantasy Sports Channel and College Sports Nation. Proud graduate of Long Beach Poly High School and The Real HU, Howard University, with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Follow him on all social media outlets at @TheeCoreyH.