LeBron James submitted an early dunk of the year candidate in the Los Angeles Lakers’ contest with the Dallas Mavericks. At 40 years old, LeBron shouldn’t be able to still have these moments, but the Lakers star can still channel it from time to time and he brought the house down in Dallas.
In the first quarter of the game, Max Christie grabbed an offensive rebound and found Jamescutting to the basket. LeBron got the ball and rose up but was met by Mavericks center Derrick Lively II, so he simply windmilled, taking the ball from his right hand to his left hand and threw down a ridiculous dunk that brought the whole crowd to its feet:
LeBron James ARE YOU KIDDING?!?!
(via @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/aqpBlzo2CU
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) January 8, 2025
It was an absolutely ridiculous dunk from LeBron and yet another one to add to his never-ending highlight reel of poster dunks. He may not pull these off as regularly as he used to, but every so often he can bring it out and it still doesn’t make sense that he is capable of getting as high as he can after 22 NBA seasons.
The dunk impressed many including Lakers legend Magic Johnson, who took to social media to implore everyone to take a few seconds to watch the outstanding dunk:
Wow! If you missed it you have to catch the highlight of LeBron’s left-handed dunk! It’s mind-blowing that a man 40 years old can still have that much hangtime! 🤯
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 8, 2025
It’s a shame that this dunk came in a loss and that will undoubtedly stick with LeBron far more than this dunk will, regardless of how spectacular it was. Magic and the rest of the basketball world can continue to marvel at what James can still do, but he and the Lakers will be focused on getting back on track after leaving Texas without a win.
LeBron James discusses Lakers defensive issues vs. Mavericks
The main reason the Lakers failed to pick up a win over the Mavericks was that their defense was not up to par. The Mavericks were on fire, especially from 3-point range, knocking down 18 shots from deep and LeBron James broke down why that happened after the game.
James praised the Mavericks for their offensive game plan, noting that Dallas spread the Lakers out and put them in a lot of pick-and-rolls in order to create matchups they wanted and then exploit them in 1-on-1 situations. LeBron added that he felt the Lakers didn’t make enough second efforts in their rotations, which also led to open looks.
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