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LeBron James' 22nd season in the NBA is in the books, and it was a bit of a mixed bag.
James put up impressive averages of 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.6 blocks per game for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024-25. That's astonishing production from a 40-year-old, and he also showed there is gas left in the tank.
On the flip side, though, the Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year. They lost in five games to the Denver Nuggets in 2024 and were beaten in five again in 2025, this time by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
While there was a lot to like about James' play, he did come up just short on a personal level in one aspect. Averaging 24.4 points per game meant the 21-time All-Star saw his astonishing streak of 20 straight seasons averaging at least 25 points per game get snapped.
It was an incredible run, and no one else in NBA history has more than 16 such seasons.
Despite James' exploits as a scorer, there is still chatter about his not having a "bag." He had a message for all of his haters who make that claim on the "Mind the Game" podcast.
“I see it all the time, I'll be on social media like, 'LeBron has no bag.'" James said on Mind the Game. "'LeBron has no bag' and I'm sitting at like 50 billion points."
James is the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 42,184 points and is 3,797 points clear of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) in second place.
Not bad for someone who has no bag.
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- The 'NBA Summer League MVPs' quiz
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Former Los Angeles Lakers Standout Is Still A Free Agent
Talen Horton-Tucker spent the 2024-25 season playing for the Chicago Bulls. He finished the year with averages of 6.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per contest while shooting 45.7% from the field and 33.6% from the three-point range in 58 games. This summer, Horton-Tucker became a free agent who is available to sign with any team in the league. On July 26, he still remains unsigned. Horton-Tucker was the 46th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Iowa State. He spent the first three years of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers. During that span, Horton-Tucker became a fan-favorite. Via Ballislife.com (on December 14, 2020): "20-year-old Talen Horton-Tucker put on a show in the Lakers win over the Clippers! 33 PTS 11/17 FG 4/5 3PT 10 REB 4 AST 4 STL" Horton-Tucker has also spent time with the Utah Jazz (in addition to the Bulls and Lakers) over six seasons. The 24-year-old has career averages of 9.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest while shooting 42.7% from the field and 29.9% from the three-point range in 305 games. Via Legion Hoops (on April 8, 2022): "Talen Horton-Tucker as the Lakers’ first option tonight: 40 (!!!) points 54% FG 4 steals 3 assists 3 rebounds" As for the Bulls, they finished the 2024-25 season as the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference with a 39-43 record. They missed the NBA playoffs for the third straight season.
Bengals finally reach agreement with first-rounder Shemar Stewart
The Cincinnati Bengals have finally reached an agreement with first-round pick Shemar Stewart, putting an end to what became the story of the offseason for the team. Stewart, drafted 17th overall in this year's draft, has finally agreed to a four-year, fully guaranteed $18.97 million deal that includes a $10.4 million signing bonus, according to his agent Zac Hiller of LAA. Now with this deal done, every first-round pick is signed. The road to this deal was a bumpy ride. For months, negotiations between Stewart’s camp and the Bengals front office stalled due to disagreements over contract language, particularly around guarantees. The team pushed to include contract language that could void the deal under certain off-field circumstances, but since other Bengals first-round picks did not face similar terms, Stewart stood firm and refused to sign. Both sides remained firm throughout the offseason, leading to a long standoff and a lot of reports of frustration from both sides. Despite the frustration and disagreement, the Bengals and Stewart’s group continued to engage in conversations, trying to find a resolution to the issue. And finally, after weeks of back and forth and weeks of controversy surrounding what Stewart may be forced to do, both parties appear to have met in the middle and found common ground. For the Bengals, getting Stewart signed and ready for training camp is a major win. Stewart was viewed as a developmental prospect who needed plenty of on-field reps to reach his full potential. Stewart's absence from earlier camps had slowed a lot of his progress. With the contract dispute resolved, he can now focus entirely on gaining important reps and continuing his development over the coming weeks. Now with this contract done and over with, the team can put their full focus on Trey Hendrickson, who is also seeking a long term deal. If the Bengals can get a deal done with Trey before the season kicks off, they would secure their edge-rushing room for not only 2025, but for years beyond. For a team looking to go all in on making the playoffs, signing Stewart was long overdue. Now it will be vital for the team to get Stewart up to speed with the rest of the roster, and allow him to get as many reps as possible before the 2025 season begins.
‘In What World Does This Make Sense?????’: Oilers and $63M Forward
According to some, throw out the idea that the Edmonton Oilers should pursue Max Pacioretty. A veteran forward who has earned over $63 million over the course of his NHL career has yet to sign an NHL contract and was recently mentioned in a post by David Staples as a possible fit. In a recent post, the Journal noted, “All of the top NHL unrestricted free agents have already signed contracts, but there’s one big name player still available that makes good sense for the Edmonton Oilers to pursue.” Responses have been varied, with a few quite vocal about the Oilers not following Staples’ advice. “In what world does this make sense?????” writes a commenter on a recent post for The Hockey Writers. Another commenter wrote, “Pacioretty is a good journeyman player but he is injury prone now, late in his career. Oilers might be lucky to get 40 games out of him. They should look elsewhere instead of taking a chance on Patches.” Tyler Yaremchuk of Oilers Nation chimed in and said, “He scored five goals in 37 games last year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Can’t stay healthy, very old, very slow.” Yaremchuk then went on a rant, listing several Oilers forwards who would be better than Pacioretty. What About Pacioretty on a PTO? Is there any reason that a team that is looking to get younger and faster, and move out depth pieces that were older and less productive than expected, would revert back to last summer’s strategy? It seems like an odd choice on the surface. Something would have to happen that would make giving Pacioretty a look risk-free. That means only a PTO. Even at that point, should he agree, it would require him to be willing to sign a two-way contract for the league minimum.
Aaron Boone sends cryptic trade deadline message amid brutal slump
The New York Yankees returned home on Friday but the sloppy play that marred a six-game road trip followed the team back to the Bronx. The Yankees committed two more errors and watched the bullpen implode as they dropped the series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies. Following New York’s sixth loss in the last nine games, manager Aaron Boone was asked about potential upgrades ahead of the trade deadline. “All lines are in the water right now. All teams, there’s a lot of talk, so you never know what’s going to happen,” Boone replied per the New York Daily News’ Gary Phillips. Yankees contemplate trades after bullpen letdown The Yankees made their first big mid-season move Friday, landing Ryan McMahon in a trade with the Rockies. New York was determined to add a third baseman at the deadline after receiving little offensive production from the position over the first half. While McMahon has struggled this season, hitting .217 with a .717 OPS, the ninth-year veteran offers substantially more offensive upside than any other Yankees third basemen. And as a left-handed batter, his power numbers could improve in the Bronx. Additionally, McMahon is an excellent defensive player. Given the Yankees’ recent struggles on defense, the move makes sense for the team. Still, it was clear New York would have preferred to land Arizona Diamondbacks’ slugger Eugenio Suarez. Unfortunately, Suarez has a number of suitors and the gap in trade talks became unworkable for the Yankees. Since getting swept by the Toronto Blue Jays at the beginning of the month the Yankees have lost 12 of their last 20 games. Toronto overtook New York for the division lead and the team now trails the Blue Jays by 5.5 games in the AL East. On Friday, starter Will Warren kept the Yankees in the game. The rookie righty allowed two runs on five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. However, the bullpen did not fare as well, giving up 10 runs in 3 1/3 innings of work, as the Phillies won 12-5. The Yankees will attempt to right the ship with Marcus Stroman on the mound Saturday. Phillies starter Ranger Suarez will look to bounce back from a rare misstep in 2025 after he allowed six runs to the Los Angeles Angels in his last outing.
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