ESPN leaves LeBron James off Lakers' all-time starting roster

ESPN released its all-time starting lineups for the 15 teams in the NBA's Western Conference Thursday and the most notable omission was leaving LeBron James off the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers' starting five was perhaps the toughest to pick, as the team has been filled with all-time talent while winning 16 championships. ESPN chose Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson for the first four spots.

"The fifth pick was harder," the article explained. "Is it Elgin Baylor, the greatest small forward in franchise history? Or how about LeBron James, the greatest small forward in NBA history? How about James Worthy, who teamed up with Magic and Kareem and won a Finals MVP?"

Having to decide between several Hall of Famers is a good problem for a franchise to have and ultimately, ESPN went with Jerry West as a third guard over LeBron.

"James hasn't been a Laker long enough... The Logo brings shooting and toughness and leadership, and he is extremely important to the franchise as a whole for his post-playing days in the front office."

It's a fair explanation. Despite being perhaps the greatest basketball player ever not named Michael Jordan, LeBron is only in his second year with the team and hasn't even played in a playoff game for the Lakers yet. Plus, he already landed spots on the all-time teams for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, the two teams he played for before he headed to Los Angeles.

Perhaps LeBron will be able to win a ring or two in L.A. and earn himself a spot on this hypothetical internet roster but for now, it's nice to see Jerry West get some recognition for his legendary career. After all, long before the days of Magic or Kobe or Shaq, Mr. Clutch was the guy who got the Lakers on the map.