The dreams and drama of the LeBron Lakers

When LeBron James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, it looked like a match made in heaven. Here was the preeminent athlete of his generation, fresh off ending Cleveland’s 50-year title drought and in need of a new challenge to help further burnish his legacy, joining forces with one of the most iconic teams in all of sports. And here were the Lakers, in the midst of their worst stretch in franchise history and reeling from the death of the legendary owner Dr. Jerry Buss, in need of a savior. The script wrote itself.

A little over two years later, LeBron and Dr. Buss’ daughter, Jeanie, were standing shoulder to shoulder, hoisting the NBA finals trophy into the air. Having won their record-tying 17th NBA title, the Lakers had reclaimed their accustomed perch on top of the basketball world. It looked to be the birth of a new dynasty.  

But this was a new Lakers’ franchise, one beset by infighting and years removed from Kobe’s prime. And this was LeBron James, the catalyst of the “player empowerment” era, an athlete chasing things greater than Michael Jordan’s ghost. The two parties were too big to peacefully coexist under one roof. The 2020 title would represent the pinnacle of their pairing, and the beginning of a precipitous decline.

Drawing from over 250 interviews, Yaron Weitzman takes readers on a riveting, behind the scenes journey of this fraught partnership. From the Succession-like power struggle between the Buss children, to the rise of LeBron’s landscape-altering talent agency and its attempts to assert its own power within the Lakers’ walls, to the evolution of LeBron’s priorities and political voice, “A Hollywood Ending” is the definitive story of an American icon’s final years on stage, one portraying him, a fabled NBA franchise, and the world of modern professional sports in a light never seen before.

The latest book by long-time NBA journalist, and author of the excellent Tanking to the Top, is an account of “the high stakes drama” inside the Los Angeles Lakers organization as they adjust to their LeBron era. Weitzman covers everything from the initial attempts to lure the superstar to LA, to their Bubble Championship, up to last season’s blockbuster (and still incredible) trade for Luka Dončić. Engaging, often amusing, and well-written, this is a must for all NBA fans.

The book starts with a response to the incredibly blunt and hostile response Weitzman received from the Lakers organization, after he reached out to them while researching and fact-checking his book. While it’s probably not surprising that an organization would be keen to exert some control over any narrative surrounding them, I was amazed by how hostile their response was. Throughout the book, Weitzman includes some of the Lakers’ responses in footnotes and in-text — often to amusing effect, juxtaposing the organization’s critiques, criticisms, and denials with quotations from those involved (not infrequently taken from televised interviews and events). The introduction sets up the reader to expect something along the lines of “devastating exposé”. And yet, that’s not what this book is — nor do I think it is what Weitzman set out to write. After finishing, I came away with a different, tarnished impression of a highly sensitive and entitled Lakers organization based largely on their exaggerated response to the book (at least, the draft that they read).

The author quickly sets the scene for readers, with quick chapters outlining the Lakers’ history under Jerry Buss (a much-covered story) and its transition to the Jeanie Buss era, a detailed-yet-brief tour of LeBron James’s NBA career, and an introduction to Rich Paul (who readers may not know as much about). I appreciated that Weitzman kept these chapters relatively tight, especially the latter two — those who haven’t read much about James and Lakers can easily find other books if they want to learn more.

Throughout the book, Weitzman’s writing is excellent: he stays focused on the story, and doesn’t indulge in long, play-by-play accounts of key games (in fact, he limits himself to only a couple of key plays, and not for all of the games mentioned). He does an excellent job of presenting balanced portraits of all of the major players, including those who may be less-well-known to casual NBA fans. It’s clear that some subjects were more forthcoming and willing to talk on the record or on background, but the author manages to provide the perspectives of multiple people for most of these events — and, as mentioned above, incorporates the Lakers’ organization responses to provide their takes. To me, this reads as a fair account of the events covered.

The author presents the people in the story as three-dimensional human beings. Does he push back against some of the mythology that surrounds the team and LeBron? Absolutely. But this doesn’t diminish them in my opinion: the idealized, curated images that too many stars try to maintain today are unrealistic, and I doubt many people believe them anyway. It’s certainly not a hit job. Weitzman’s respect for the players’ talents and what the Lakers have managed to achieve is clear throughout. But, ultimately, this is the human story of LeBron’s move to Los Angeles. It is messier than they would like to admit, and everyone has their own agendas, foibles, and insecurities. In addition to their triumphs, showing the players, executives, and organization stumble at times and make mistakes (e.g., trading away most of their championship line-up) is not a bad thing — certainly not for this reader, anyway — and paints what feels like a fuller, more honest picture of this period of NBA and the team’s history.

Weitzman’s Tanking to the Top was one of the first books about the NBA that I read, and it remains one of my favourites. With A Hollywood Ending, he adds another excellent book for our growing NBA book shelves. It’s a must-read for fans of the League broadly, and despite the accusations levelled by the Lakers organization, I also think fans of the team and LeBron will also enjoy this book. Of the growing number of books available about LeBron James’s career, this is definitely one to pick up. I can’t wait for Weitzman’s next book, whatever it might be.

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Yaron Weitzman’s A Hollywood Ending is out now, published by Doubleday. You can read an excerpt from the book over on The Ringer.

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Review copy received from publisher