LeBron James is at that point in his career where he’s looking to complete some side quests; at 40 years of age, the Los Angeles Lakers star has accomplished everything there is to accomplish in his Hall of Fame career — most notably overtaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. On Sunday night, James had another looming achievement waiting to be checked off the list — as he needed to score just 18 more points to become the first player in league history to score at least 50,000 points, regular season and playoffs combined.
James, however, left everyone hanging by scoring just 17 points in a 108-102 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, forcing everyone to wait until the Lakers’ Tuesday night contest against the New Orleans Pelicans to cross the 50,000-point mark. He did just that in the first quarter of play against the Pelicans, doing so on a catch-and-shoot three-pointer off an assist from Luka Doncic.
James had been deferring to Doncic all night long back on Sunday, and it’s not like the Lakers have needed him to take over the game from a scoring standpoint to build a comfortable lead over the Clippers. Doncic, Dalton Knecht, and even Dorian Finney-Smith were doing their fair share of the heavy lifting, with James more than content to play more of a supporting role in the first half.
LeBron James guns for ring number five with new-look Lakers
Winning is a feeling that never gets old for LeBron James. He may be the most-decorated individual player in the history of the NBA, but nothing can compare to the glory that comes with leading a team to a championship.
Some think that James having “only” four championships is a major blemish on his legacy. Of course, at this point, the Lakers star is pretty secure in his legacy. But what a big statement it would be for James to win a championship in the twilight of his career.
The Lakers’ trade for Luka Doncic has given James more time off the ball, allowing him to conserve more energy and distribute it much more equally throughout the game. He’s also been a more active participant on the defensive end, allowing the Purple and Gold to put up one of the league’s best defenses despite giving up one of the league’s best defenders in Anthony Davis.
James and the Lakers have stumbled upon a winning formula, and as long as it’s working, there will be no need for them to mess with it.
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