LeBron James on Lakers acquiring another elite player: ‘That would be ideal’

"I've always recruited. I've been trying to get guys to come play with me since, like, 2007," said James.

LeBron James wants the Lakers to acquire another superstar.

The 33-year-old forward has continued to be one of the best players in the NBA during his first season in Los Angeles. James, however, is currently the only All-Star on the Lakers’ roster. He said on Monday he'll work to change that as soon as possible.

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“That (acquiring another elite player) would be ideal,” James told ESPN . “I think you’ve heard from the front office, their ideas of what they believe we can do. That’s going to be my job, as well.

“I’m looking forward to, when guys come up for free agency, I’ll be at their doors, I’ll be on their phones, seeing how we can continue to help this franchise become an elite franchise and get back to the mountain top again.”

James appeared to begin his recruiting efforts when he told ESPN   last week it would be “amazing” and “incredible” if the Lakers found a way to land Pelicans big man Anthony Davis. He said on Monday he’s been trying to get All-Stars to play with him for almost his entire career.

 

"I've always recruited," James said. "I've been trying to get guys to come play with me since, like, 2007. I've got rejected a lot. But I also have not got rejected a lot."

James said he doesn’t think it will “be that hard to get” players to come to Los Angeles. But, he said the team needs to win.

“At the end of the day, it's all about winning,” James said. “You know, and that's what I'm trying to do right now, is to show prospects and free agents — and at the same time, show these guys that I got right now — that we can win now, and let's not worry about the future."

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James is averaging 27.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game this season. He’s shot 51.8 percent from the field and 36 percent from 3-point range. Yet, he said he hasn’t been focusing on his personal success.

“I'm only satisfied with winning and that's what this organization is all about,” James said. “It's what it's always been about through the history of the NBA. The Lakers have always been about winning. Even when they had losing seasons, it's always been about winning."

The Lakers will face the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. They’ll enter that matchup with a 19-14 record.