LeBron James put up one of the most efficient offensive displays of his career by dropping 40 points on 76.5% shooting in the Lakers 116-104 win over the Nets. The impressive performance was a treat for Nets fans, who gave James a standing ovation despite watching their team lose.
James went 9-10 from 3-point range for the best outside shooting night of his career. He had a true shooting percentage of 101.8% after the game.
LeBron is averaging 25.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.1 assists this season, an incredible feat given he's in Year 21. He's been a statistical anomaly his entire career but he's making the history books look ridiculous with his longevity.
Nets fans are notorious for supporting opposing superstars, with players like Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry also receiving ovations from their fans after impressive road performances. Appreciating good basketball is something fans can't help themselves from, but few fanbases in the NBA would be giving ovations to opposing players who cooked them.
Give LeBron James His Flowers Before He's Gone
The discourse around LeBron becomes ridiculously harsh at times, with everything he does being compared to Michael Jordan. We're watching a man with over 47,000 minutes played in the NBA over the last 21 seasons continue to dominate opponents like it means nothing. This is not only unprecedented in basketball, but few sports can claim a 39-year-old playing as one of the best in the world.
James made it clear that his retirement is coming soon after the performance as well.
"Not very long. I'm on the other side. I’m not gonna play another 21 years, that’s for damn sure. But not very long. I don’t know when that door will close as far as when I’ll retire. But I don’t have much time left.”
We should appreciate James for just being able to put up numbers like this at this age. When have we expected a player in Year 21 to start for a tanking team, let alone be one of the two superstars hoping to lead a contender? James and the Lakers haven't had an ideal season, but diminishing their 42-33 record because it's just for the No. 9 seed in one of the most competitive Western Conferences of all time is unfair.
Praising LeBron isn't equivalent to calling him the GOAT. If there are fans who believe he's the GOAT, that's their choice. If there are fans who don't think he's the GOAT, that's their choice. That shouldn't mean that his game cannot be appreciated as he continues to shatter records at an age where most people he entered the league with are now podcasters or broadcasters.
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