Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James became the first player to surpass 40,000 career points on Saturday night, and the reactions are pouring in.
ESPN NBA analyst was in awe, and predicted a statue out front of The Crypt for the Lakers legend:
Said Perkins on the Lakers’ leader, “Get ready to start sculpting the statue for LeBron [James] outside of Crypto Arena… The GOAT!”
Continuing to stave off Father Time, LeBron is in the midst of by far the best age-39 season ever. He’s averaging 25.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game on near-elite shooting efficiency, including a career-best 40.8% on three-pointers.
Aside from taking on the scoring responsibilities, James’ production translates to wins and championships. While some players won championships with several teams, James did so as a leader, becoming the Finals MVP of all three franchises he took to the pinnacle of the NBA. As we all know, James won two straight Finals MVPs and championships in South Beach, a historic one in Cleveland, and the latest with Lakers in the NBA bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most importantly for LeBron and Lakers fans, the team is starting to turn things around after a slow start to the season. Los Angeles is 9-3 in their last 12 games, managing to play better basketball despite not making any moves at the trade deadline. All but guaranteed at least a berth in the play-in tournament, 10th-place Los Angeles was three games back of the New Orleans Pelicans for sixth in the West ahead of Saturday’s game against the Nuggets.
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