Regardless of who someone believes is the greatest NBA player ever, there is no doubt that no player came into the league with more hype, pressure and expectations than Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James. And despite all of that, LeBron has exceeded everything anyone could imagine he would accomplish and remains one of the best players in the league today at 38 years old in his 20th season.
Unfortunately, James was unable to take the court against former teammate Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets on Monday and though the Lakers fought back from an early deficit, they were unable to come away with the win. The relationship between LeBron and Irving has had its ups and downs, but overall there is a respect level between the two.
Following Monday night’s contest, Irving was asked about James and his continued greatness and the Nets star believes everyone should celebrate the Lakers superstar as much as possible while he continues to showcase this level of greatness, via Erik Slater of Clutch Points:
“It’s hard to be LeBron James or any superstar in any entertainment, sport, athletic, or business industry because all eyes are on you. But he’s handled it extremely well. They gave the keys to the whole entire business to an 18-year-old kid and now he’s 38-years-old and he’s still dominating. I don’t think we should be surprised. I think we should congratulate him and celebrate him as much as possible. Continue to enjoy the shows that he puts on because it’s not gonna be for too much longer, whenever he decides to play. But I’m enjoying the show and I wish we coulda got the chance to play one another, but who knows what’ll happen down the line.”
As Irving noted, for someone to have all eyes on them at all times at 18 years old, and handle it the way James has is truly impressive. And for him to continue dominating for the Lakers at this stage, regularly pulling out performances he would do in his prime, it should be and is being celebrated.
The Lakers and Nets have finished their season series so unless the two sides improbably meet in the NBA Finals, the only time James and Irving will share the court is during the NBA All-Star Game. But LeBron has made it very clear that he won’t be retiring just yet so the two should still have some opportunities to face off in the future.
LeBron James expected to suit up vs. Knicks
Both James and Anthony Davis missed the Lakers’ Monday’s contest against the Nets. For Davis, it was injury management with the Lakers being on the front end of a back-to-back, but LeBron is continuing to deal with his own lingering foot issue.
Head coach Darvin Ham said that LeBron was experiencing ‘significant soreness’ in his foot, causing the staff to keep him out of the game. But he is expected to suit up on Tuesday when the Lakers take the court at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks.
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