Rob Pelinka Says LeBron James ‘Locked in’ to Win Title With Lakers This Season

Los Angeles Lakers general manager and vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka believes that LeBron James is zeroed in on leading the Lakers to their first NBA title in a decade.

Pelinka appeared on Spectrum SportsNet and spoke about the intense focus of James.

“You spend time around the great greats, not just the greats but some of the greatest to ever play, and when it gets close to playoff time, those guys get so locked in,” Pelinka said. “It’s just another level of the mental approach, the physical approach, the mindset. And you can see it in LeBron. He’s locked in to a mission. He’s got one thing in sight. He wants to bring a title home to the Lakers and he’s going to do everything within his power to do it.”

James’ attention to detail has helped him reach the NBA Finals on nine different occasions. He’s won three NBA championships so far in his storied career.

Following each of those three victories, James was awarded the Finals MVP award, an indication of just how integral he’s been to the success of his teams.

Pelinka no doubt detects many of the same qualities in James that he saw in his former client and close friend, Kobe Bryant. In Bryant’s legendary career with the Lakers, he led the team to five NBA titles and seven Finals appearances.

The Lakers enter the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and will begin their quest for a title with a series against the Portland Trail Blazers.