LeBron James crosses out the ‘s’ in ‘Kings’ sign in picture of him shooting prior to Lakers loss

LeBron James’ ability to build a brand since his arrival as a rookie in 2003 is virtually unrivaled.

To say he cares about marketing and optics would be an understatement, as further evidenced by his latest Instagram post in which the ‘S’ on a Kings-branded electronic board is erased to read ‘King’.

Of course, James’ nickname is ‘The King’, and if you didn’t know, his Instagram account reinforces it: ‘@kingjames’.

Ironically, it was the Sacramento Kings who looked like NBA royalty against an inept Lakers team on Wednesday night at the Golden 1 Center.

The Kings, not King, turned on the lightning after a 134-120 win, fueled by a dominating second and third quarters where the Lakers were outscored 81-60.

James played well for LA, which, unsurprisingly, suffered the absences of Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis, dropping 31 points, along with 11 assists and six rebounds.

After the match, James took to Instagram to show off his rigorous recovery methods at 1:30 am PT.

The King was seen placing ice packs inside his recovery boots before closing them, increasing blood flow to his lower body and further reducing inflammation.

After a promising stretch from mid-November to early December, where LA won eight of 10 games, the familiar feeling of losing has returned.

On the season, the Lakers have a 13-18 record, ranking fifth in the Pacific Division.

Since December 6, LA has won just three of a possible nine games. Two wins against Denver and Washington seemed to be a sign of positivity returning, but LA followed it up with two blowout losses in Phoenix and Sacramento.