Lakers News

Report: Los Angeles Overwhelmingly Picks LeBron James as City’s Favorite Athlete

Published by
Jonathan Sherman

When LeBron James decided to join the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2018, many Lakers fans vowed that they would never support him.

People didn’t like the idea of James coming to Los Angeles and some even displayed clear acts of protest against his arrival.

Less than two years later, James is now the city’s most popular athlete on the most popular team based on a poll from Loyola Marymount University.

“The seventh annual survey, conducted in January and February, asked 1,000 Los Angeles County residents to pick their favorite team from the 10 major pro teams with Los Angeles in their name,” the Los Angeles Times reported. “The Lakers got 35% of the vote and the Dodgers 31%, with only four other teams reaching even 5%: the Rams (7.5%), Clippers (6.4%), Galaxy (6.2%) and Angels (5.3%).

“The survey also asked participants to select their favorite player, with one player representing each of those 10 teams. James dominated, with 46% of the vote, and only three other players even reaching 5%: the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger (10.7%), LAFC’s Carlos Vela (8.3%) and the Angels’ Mike Trout (6.7%).”

The reason for James’ supreme popularity this year is probably twofold.

First, he has helped lead the Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference. When the season does pick back up, the Lakers are expected to make a deep playoff run and possibly win the title.

Secondly, James helped unite the entire city of Los Angeles amidst the tragic passing of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. James’ openness about his own sense of loss and sadness throughout has been a beacon for Lakers fans all over the world to follow.

Even now, James has managed to remain a positive force amidst the shutdown of the NBA season.

He has spent hours on social media offering entertainment for fans and has been honest about how the lack of NBA basketball has impacted his life.

When the season does resume, fans will likely not only celebrate the return of Lakers basketball, but also the return of James.

Jonathan Sherman

Jonathan is a freelance writer, filmmaker, and passionate fan of the NBA. In the past Jonathan has covered politics, entertainment, travel, and more. He is a proud contributor of Lakers Daily.

Published by
Jonathan Sherman

Recent Posts

Darvin Ham fires massive shot at Lakers: ‘Anywhere else I’m probably looking at an extension’

Darvin Ham has had more NBA Cup success than any coach in the league since…

December 18, 2024

Bobby Portis on the difference between the Bucks and the Lakers: ‘We’re not Hollywood’

The Milwaukee Bucks captured the 2024 NBA Cup title with a 97-81 victory over the…

December 18, 2024

Report: Lakers are not interested in shopping LeBron, Anthony Davis unless they ask out

Perhaps no two players have contributed more to the Los Angeles Lakers since the start…

December 18, 2024

Lakers insider identifies big indicator of LeBron’s decline that he’s noticed this season

Los Angeles Lakers insider Jovan Buha has noticed that superstar LeBron James is calling out…

December 17, 2024

Report: Lakers now favorites to land Lonzo Ball in a potential trade

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly are the favorites to land Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball…

December 16, 2024

Report: Lakers likely to make at least one move before trade deadline

The Los Angeles Lakers are likely to make a move to their roster, according to…

December 16, 2024