Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has completed 20 NBA season and now confirmed he is coming back for his 21st. While James has struggled with nagging injuries throughout his time in Los Angeles, fans can see that he still has plenty left in the tank.
With a torn tendon in his right foot, the now all-time leading scorer was able to put up 40 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists in an elimination game against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals this past season. While all of the effort he put into throughout the regular season to make the playoffs may have taken its toll, LeBron proved that he can still play at an extremely high level.
Now that the offseason is in full effect, James has been focused on getting healthy and ready for another season with the Lakers, hoping to win another championship. One person who still believes James has great basketball ahead of him is Lakers head coach Darvin Ham as he spoke highly of his star player’s routine in an interview on SiriusXM NBA Radio:
“At this age, what he is doing is unprecedented. Hopefully, he has a few more years to come, but if there is anybody that can do it, he can play until he is probably 50. Just the way he takes care of himself, his nutrition, his sleep habits, the regimen, everything he does pre-work, during the work, post-work, his regimen, everything he does to make himself not just available, but elite.”
The expectation of the past two seasons has been for Anthony Davis to take the torch from James as L.A.’s leader and best player, and fans can argue whether Davis has done so or not. Regardless though, both guys continue to play at a very high level when healthy and the roster around them is perhaps the best it has ever been going into 2023-24.
With capable ball-handlers like Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Gabe Vincent, James can operate off the ball and not have to orchestrate the offense. Those three can handle the ball but are also respectable scorers along with Rui Hachimura and Davis.
The jury is still out on how long James will play in the NBA, but this could be the last season for him as a Laker. With his son Bronny James likely heading for the NBA Draft next year, LeBron has made it clear he wants to play with his son and it’ll be interesting to see where that destination is.
LeBron James changing jersey number out of respect for Bill Russell
With James now coming back next season, he’ll be returning to jersey No. 23, the number he wore throughout his time as a Cleveland Cavalier and his first three seasons as a Laker. With the passing of the great Bill Russell, the NBA has retired No. 6 league-wide and James will be honoring that.
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