Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Jan. 2 to Jan. 8, it was announced on Monday morning.
The Lakers are in the midst of a five-game winning streak, going 4-0 on the week with James averaging 35.0 points (.548 FG%), 8.7 rebounds and 7.7 assists in three games. L.A.’s victories were over the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings.
James owns a league-record 66 career Player of the Week awards, including five weekly honors with the Lakers with the last being on Dec. 13, 2021.
The week got off to a strong start for James in the Lakers as he had 43 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and one steal in a win against the Hornets on Jan. 2, shooting an efficient 16-for-26 from the field. According to Lakers PR, James joined Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to record consecutive 40-point games at age 35 or older and it came right after his 38th birthday.
After sitting out against Miami due to a non-COVID illness, James returned to action against the Hawks on Friday and had a solid all-around game with 25 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists. LeBron then played against Sacramento in the second game of the back-to-back and recorded 37 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and one steal in a 136-134 road victory.
James has played in 31 total games for the Lakers this season and is averaging 29.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 35.9 minutes.
Thomas Bryant is also coming off an outstanding week for the Lakers and was a nominee for the award that ultimately went to James.
James clarifies comments regarding Lakers need for trades
Even though the Lakers have been playing well recently, there are still talks about them potentially making trades ahead of the Feb. 9 deadline to upgrade the roster. While James made some comments after the win over the Kings that would support the Lakers making moves, he later walked them back a bit saying that his patience is not waning and he is pleased with the team’s recent play during their five-game win streak.
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