LOS ANGELES — The Lakers give an aging star a generous contract extension that ensures he will retire in their uniform.

The Lakers know this contract will restrict their ability to win a championship, but they give it to him anyway.

Sure enough, from the moment this contract is signed, the team endures six consecutive losing seasons, including one containing the fewest wins in Laker history.

This was the final impact of the Kobe Bryant era.

And this will be the final impact of the LeBron James era?

It sure seems like it. It sure feels like it. It appears that the Lakers have been here before, and it's not a good look.

When James agreed to a two-year, $104 million max contract Wednesday morning, it set the Lakers on a path toward several seasons of Kobe-tinged irrelevance.

Granted, James is a much stronger player than Bryant was during his final years. And, yes, this team has Anthony Davis; those teams had Timofey Mozgov.

But the feeling of hopelessness is the same. And the sense that the Lakers' future has been mortgaged to please one player is real.

You want some scary numbers? Using the Kobe Bryant scenario as a guide, the Lakers won't be contenders until at least 2028, eight years after their bubble title and 18 years after their last full-season championship.

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