Lakers' LeBron James receives chilling warning from Colin Cowherd ahead of awaited return

The Los Angeles Lakers had an interesting offseason this summer when it came to roster management — and even LeBron James. However, everything seems to have worked out for the time being. The Lakers now have a championship-caliber team, just as James wants.

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Rich Paul told ESPN. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we've had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”

James hasn’t played in a game this season, but Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have held down the fort. In the first two games, Doncic made NBA history.

“Luka is the 1st player in Lakers history to start a season with two consecutive 40-point games and only the 4th player in league history to do so (Anthony Davis, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain are the others),” Lakers insider Dave McMenamin posted.

Reaves also went on a five-game stretch to start the season that no one else has come close to matching.

“34.2 PPG. 10.0 APG. 1.8 SPG. 52.5 FG%. 38.5 3P%. 89.7 FT%. That's what the Lakers' Austin Reaves is averaging in 5 games this season. No one else in NBA history has put up those numbers or better over any 5-game span in a single season,” Opta Stats posted.

With all of this happening, The Herd’s Colin Cowherd believes that when James returns, he needs to accept his new role — or leave.

“LeBron's gotta fall in line or leave. This is not Cleveland. And it's not even Miami,” Cowherd said.

Cowherd didn’t hold back on James, asserting that the four-time champion may be hurt that he isn’t the primary guy anymore. There’s no doubt some question marks remain about how things will run when he returns.

However, James is a true veteran and will likely be fine with whatever role he needs to play. At 40, he may want to take a backseat offensively. Cowherd was just looking to stir the pot.