DeMarcus Cousins makes bold claim about LeBron James' future

Former NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins made a bold claim Monday about the future of Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James.

Cousins, who appeared on FanDuel's Run It Back show, believes James will finish his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"Do I feel like he finishes his career in LA? I don't," Cousins said. "My gut tells me he finishes his career in Cleveland."

James was drafted by the Cavaliers in 2003 and spent his first seven NBA seasons in Cleveland. He departed for the Miami Heat in 2010, then returned to the Cavaliers from 2014-18, leading the Cavs to their first NBA Championship in 2016.

Cousins said it would be fitting for James to return to his hometown team before his career ends.

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"That's where his story starts," Cousins said. "That's where he's from. I think that'll be the first team to hang his jersey up. It just makes sense for him to end his career in Cleveland."

Cousins later called out the Lakers for not putting the right pieces around James.

"When you think about LeBron James, it should never be where he doesn't make the playoffs," he said. "It's hard for me to sit there and put that blame on LeBron."

James has led the Lakers to five playoff appearances since joining the Lakers. He won a title in 2020 and made the Western Conference Finals in 2023, but hasn't won a playoff series since.

"He won a title in '19-20, but for the rest of the time, it just hasn't really shown where he's been put in the best situations."

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