With his start to the 2019-20 NBA season, LeBron James has silenced a lot of doubters who questioned whether he was still among the game’s best players.
After an uninspired Year 1 with the Los Angeles Lakers along with the first real injury of his career, some thought James may have passed his prime.
The fact that James was also entering his 17th season — a time when practically every major All-Star player begins to tail off — and there was a legit reason to question how much he had left. However, he has looked as good as ever and he feels the same as well.
James spoke with Dave McMenamin of ESPN and said that despite some not believing him, he truly does feel the best he’s ever felt in his career:
“Every time I tell you guys that it’s the best I’ve felt, you guys kind of get a, ‘All right,’ [look of disbelief] and then I go out and I’m able to do what I do,” James said. “But that’s how I feel, man. My spring [is back], my quick-twitch [muscles are back], my mind is sharp, my body is good. I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on. It might be the wine I’m drinking. I’ll keep drinking some more if I’m going to keep doing that.”
Whatever James is doing, he should definitely keep it going because he has been outstanding this season. He is still averaging over 25 points per game while leading the league in assists and has also been far more engaged and locked in defensively than he has been in numerous seasons.
It is funny that James feels some don’t believe him about how he feels physically, but that is likely because his level of play has been so unbelievable. Fans will certainly remember Kobe Bryant‘s unreal play during his 17th season, but that eventually ended with his body breaking down. James has looked unbreakable so far.
Without a doubt, James is one of the early-season MVP candidates alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, and Luka Doncic and very few people would have predicted that prior to the start of the new season. It may seem unreal that James is still playing and moving at this level so late in his career, but it is the reality.