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LeBron James ' eight-season stint with the Los Angeles Lakers is drawing a mixed report card from one of the franchise's own champions. Byron Scott told TMZ Sports this week he is giving James a "B" grade for his time in purple and gold, a verdict that lands just days after James informed the Lakers he intends to continue his career elsewhere for an unprecedented 24th NBA season.

Scott, who won three titles as a player with the Showtime Lakers in the 1980s, said the split works out well for both sides. Still, looking back on the past eight years, he admitted he had hoped for more hardware than the single championship James delivered during the pandemic-altered 2020 season inside the NBA bubble.

Why did Byron Scott give LeBron James a 'B' grade for his Lakers run?

Scott's grading shows the tension around James' Lakers legacy. He arrived in 2018 with the expectation of restoring a dynasty, and he did deliver a title in his second season, but the Lakers have not returned to the NBA Finals since. Los Angeles was swept 4-0 by the Oklahoma City Thunder in this year's Western Conference semifinals, a follow-up to a 4-1 first-round exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves the previous season, and a 2023 Western Conference finals sweep at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.

Scott pointed to the Lakers' trade for Luka Doncic as the moment the organization's priorities shifted. With Doncic now established as the franchise's long-term centerpiece, Scott said Los Angeles can reallocate the money it would have spent retaining James toward building a deeper roster around its younger star.

LeBron James' Lakers tenure by the numbers



This is not the first time Scott has offered a measured take on James' Lakers legacy. He has said previously that James has not accumulated enough championships in Los Angeles to warrant a statue outside the arena, telling TMZ Sports "I think if he gets another one, then he has a chance." Scott has consistently held James' Lakers run to a standard set by Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and other multi-title Lakers greats who spent the bulk of their careers with the franchise.

What happens next for LeBron James after leaving the Lakers?

The Lakers made James' departure official through a statement from governor Jeanie Buss, who thanked him for the 2020 title and for the franchise records he broke along the way. James, in turn, posted on social media that it was an honor to wear the uniform. According to reporting from ESPN's Dave McMenamin, James decided to move on because he wants to keep playing "meaningful, competitive basketball," a priority that reportedly outweighed staying in a situation increasingly built around Doncic.

James' free agency market is taking shape quickly. The Golden State Warriors have emerged as a serious suitor, especially after Draymond Green opted out of his contract to open cap flexibility, while the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, James' two other former teams, remain in the mix as well.

For now, the decision on where James plays his 24th season rests with him and agent Rich Paul, who has been instructed to gauge interest across the league before James makes his call. Whichever franchise lands him will inherit a player still chasing the kind of definitive Lakers legacy that even his harshest in-house critics admit remains unfinished business.