In a new interview, LeBron James explained why he chose the Los Angeles Lakers over the Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets.

"I definitely thought long and hard about the possibilities of lining up alongside Ben [Simmons] and [Joel] Embiid or lining up aside [James] Harden and Chris [Paul]," he said.

"I like the challenge of being able to help a team get to places that they haven't been in quite a while. And obviously the Lakers haven't made the playoffs in a few years, but the Lakers organization and historical franchise matches up there with all the greats.  You can look at the Cowboys and you can look at the Patriots, you can look at Manchester United, the Boston Celtics — These are like historical franchises. And for me to be a part of that, I think it's a great move not only for me but for my family and for the history of basketball in general," added James.

He also talked about the Lakers bringing on the motley crew of Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee and Michael Beasley since he's joined the team.

"We just got guys that love to play basketball," said James. "And that's what they do every single day. I love that and I think [Rob] Pelinka and Magic [Johnson] love that as well, and that's why they made the signings. And bringing Lance and JaVale and Beas and Rondo, they're guys that every day that they wake up, they think about the game of basketball. And everything else is secondary."

A couple of months ago, LeBron's former coach Ty Lue talked about James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he said it caught him off guard.  

As far as the Lakers, do you think they are a (non-Golden State) contender in the West now that they have King James?