LeBron James has been a big freak of nature ever since he joined the NBA. He did not take much time before he started dominating the game. Hence, as he played in his 20th NBA season in the 2022-23 season, it was also his 20th season of dominating the game. But before becoming a Laker, the King helped his hometown franchise, the Cleveland Cavaliers, win their first NBA title in 2016. He has been a Cavalier for a far longer time than he has been a Laker.
Moreover, he played for the Cleveland franchise during two separate stints. When he returned from Miami to Cleveland for his second stint with the Cavs, he led the side to four NBA Finals in a row from 2015 to 2018. All four times, the Cavs met the same opponent from the West in the NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors won on three occasions against LBJ’s Cavaliers. Recently, in an interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Kevin Looney of the Warriors compared the 2018 version of LeBron James and the current one.
Kevin Looney Says LeBron James Was At His Peak Back In 2018
During Game 1 of the 2018 finals, LeBron James scored a career-high 51 points. Looney said it was too damn hard to guard the all-time scoring leader. That’s when he was at the peak of his powers, Looney believes. He used to control the ball more than anybody in his team. But five years later, with the Lakers, LeBron James let players like Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell handle the ball too. However, Kevin Looney said in 2018, that LBJ would be part of every play of his team. On the other hand, last year, Looney added LBJ would pick his spots and let the other guys do their jobs.
But Kevin Looney says that LeBron James is still in pretty much control. Albeit, James is a bit more cerebral in terms of choosing his spots. LeBron James has sustained more injuries in the last three years than in his whole career. Moreover, it is not easy to pinpoint how these age-related symptoms have affected the game of the GOAT. But the players who played alongside him or against him in the last twenty years can point out the differences in LBJ’s game style. However, LeBron James still stays very dominating even at 38.
The Lakers Franchise Has Complete Faith In LBJ, No Matter What
Moreover, LBJ broke the all-time scoring record in his 20th season in the league. It seems like the scoring record always belongs to a Laker, from Wilt Chamberlain to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and now it is LeBron James. That makes a great tradition for the iconic Los Angeles Lakers franchise. Even at 38, King James believes he can run faster and jump higher than most youngsters. Recently, the Lakers GM mentioned, “Bron is prepping for his 21st season like a rookie.”
What Rob Pelinka is trying to say here is that LBJ does not look like a 38-year-old while training. Neither does he look close to 40 years old while playing. Moreover, LeBron James averaged 28.9 points last season. However, he missed a month due to a tendon injury on his right foot. Clearly, he is getting older with his body, and it sure is showing some signs occasionally.