When LeBron James was interviewed on his draft night as fans chanted "Overrated"

As LeBron James celebrates his 20 years in the league (and his 38th birthday) on Friday, we take a look at rookie LeBron James in an interview following being drafted No. 1 in 2003.

Chants of "overrated" can be heard as James addressed the questions. When asked about his position in the draft and what he plans for his rookie season, James said:

"This is a longtime dream, finally accomplished this. It finally showed that the hardwork has finally paid off for me. Seeing our team get better every day. I think that's going to be the biggest accomplishment for us, because last year we weren't pretty good, but I feel like we can get better every day as a team. That's going to be my biggest goal this year."

LeBron James' current rut

LA Lakers forward LeBron James

While LeBron James has had a long and fulfilling career in the NBA, his current situation has many people disappointed in the Lakers' front office.

In a postgame interview following the Lakers' 21st loss this season, James gave an extremely candid answer detailing his thoughts about the string of losses that the Lakers, who are 14-21 after finishing 33-49 last season, have suffered:

"I'm a winner, and I want to win. And I want to win and give myself a chance to win and still compete for championships. That has always been my passion. ... Playing basketball at this level just to be playing basketball is not in my DNA. It's not in my DNA anymore."

This naturally ruffled some feathers, with many suspecting this as a message to LA Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka. Squandering James' final years in the NBA will likely not go over well with anyone in the Lakers' organization. However, they seem to have done very little to prevent such a situation.

Changing the head coach following last season's disaster was all but effective, not because Darvin Ham has fared worse than Frank Vogel. In fact, Ham convinced Westbrook to come off the bench, something Vogel couldn't do.

But the issue clearly isn't about coaching, or motivation or locker-room issues. Winning NBA games is an issue.

The Lakers don't have enough good players, and Anthony Davis is only good for a fraction of the regular season. LeBron James is on the floor on a nightly basis, and it is hard to overstate just how incredibly outlandish it is for a 38-year-old to be performing at his level.

Without AD, the Lakers' second-best player is coming off the bench. And even with AD, the Lakers aren't exactly a contender. In the non-LeBron minutes, it sometimes feels like the Lakers couldn't even buy a bucket.

When LeBron James signed a two-year extension with LA in the offseason, he probably had some contending hopes in mind. However, in 2022-23, the Lakers find themselves nowhere close to making the playoffs, let alone contending for a title.