Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been in the league so long that some of the incoming players were born after he made his debut back in 2003.
James just finished a successful Year 20 where he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the NBA’s all-time scoring list as well as led the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals. Although James openly considered retiring, all indications behind the scenes are that he’ll return for Year 21 where he’ll hope to chase after his fifth ring.
The recent 2023 NBA Draft has several players who look the part of a future All-Star though their road will still be blocked by the King so long as he plays. To that end, a few of the new rookies name-dropped James as the player they’d like to dunk on the most, via Bleacher Report:
Most of the rooks want to dunk on LeBron ? ?
(via @Boardroom, h/t @BronGotGame) pic.twitter.com/PnaE3aa1B4
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 25, 2023
It should come across as a sign of respect that today’s younger players want to try and put James on a poster because of his reputation and status in the basketball world. James is the player most of these rookie grew up watching during their formative years, so it must feel like a dream come true to get a chance to play against him at the professional level.
This year’s No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama has drawn comparisons to James as the league’s next can’t-miss prospect and even he had to admit that he’s looking forward to playing James the most. While Wembanyama has yet to officially make his NBA debut, talent evaluators and analysts are already calling him a sure-fire Hall of Famer and franchise changer.
When the 2023-24 season tips off, those same rookies will probably be even more hyped up than usual when they get to play against the Lakers and James. However, the 38-year-old has seen plenty of young bucks try to go at him so it’ll be fun to watch those matchups when they happen.
Jalen Hood-Schifino calls himself all-around player
One rookie who won’t be dunking on James in a game is his new teammate Jalen Hood-Schifino, whom Los Angeles drafted No. 1 overall. Hood-Schifino had an impressive freshman year at Indiana University and should have an opportunity early on to earn minutes.
While not the most athletic player, Hood-Schifino has great two-way instincts which is why he believes he’s an all-player on the court.
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