Damian Lillard insinuates Lakers were trash before LeBron James arrived during heated exchange with fan

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard offered a biting assessment of the pre-LeBron James version of the Los Angeles Lakers during a social media dispute with a Lakers fan.

The exchange began when the detractor took a shot at Lillard for the Trail Blazers’ eighth-place playoff berth in the Western Conference standings. That status resulted in a first-round matchup between the Trail Blazers and Lakers, which the Lakers won in five games.

Lillard’s response pointed out the miserable performance of the Lakers over much of the last decade, with this year marking the first time since 2013 that the team has reached the postseason.

The worst of those seasons took place during the 2015-16 campaign, when the Lakers finished with a 17-65 mark, second-worst among all NBA teams for that season.

In 2018, the Lakers acquired James in free agency, but an injury-plagued first season for the veteran resulted in a 37-45 record for the team. James ended up playing in a career-low 55 games last season, which helped once again keep the Lakers out of the postseason.

However, a resurgent James and the addition of superstar forward Anthony Davis helped the Lakers bounce back this season with the best regular season record in the Western Conference at 52-19.

Wednesday night’s 116-98 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals no doubt further energized the Lakers fan, though it remains to be seen if Lillard chooses to once again interact with that person.