LeBron James

The Lakers need LeBron James to be exceptional just to have a chance, even against lottery teams. Luckily for them, on Friday night, that's exactly what he ...

With this win, they are 2.5 games ahead of the faltering, sick and banged-up Pelicans. It was an advantage they would never relinquish as they spent most of the remaining time in regulation celebrating each other’s highlights, cruising to victory with a level of joy rarely seen from this squad. Westbrook was putrid against his old team, shooting 2-11 from the field to finish with 5 points and 1 turnover. And against the Wizards, it was enough, as James lit a fire under the Lakers with his effort and production to start the second half and lead the team to a 122-109 comeback win over Washington. The two teams played a mostly close first 20ish minutes, but as is their normal modus operandi, the Lakers let go of the rope to close a quarter. It’s not fair for the Lakers to need LeBron James to be this good at age 37.

The Lakers' superstar is the only player ever to reach at least 10000 points, 10000 rebounds and 10000 assists.

LeBron and Kareem are the only two players to rank in the top 50 in all three categories. LeBron is already the only player ranked in the top 10 in both scoring and assists – next season he’ll likely be top five in both categories. That pursuit will have to continue next season as LeBron needs more than 1,500 more points to catch the Captain. While LeBron became the first to hit the 30K-10K-10K milestone on Sunday, we have to keep in mind that he’s still not done. LeBron joins Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Nate Archibald, Russell Westbrook and James Harden as the only players to accomplish that feat. Of the three stats needed for the career triple-double, assists are the most difficult to achieve – and was the final one LeBron checked off the list. LeBron ranks 16th all-time among non-centers and there are only nine players in league history with more rebounds that are shorter than LeBron at 6-foot-9. LeBron reached 10,000 career rebounds on Jan. 19, 2022 and currently sits in 39th place in the all-time category. Even if we drop the scoring threshold to 10,000 points, there is still not another player in NBA history to reach the career triple-quintuple (10K-10K-10K). LeBron is much more than a scorer and impacts all aspects of the game as his playmaking and rebounding numbers suggest and the eye test proves on a nightly basis. Below is a look at the number of players that have hit the major scoring milestones in NBA history. LeBron not only established the 10K-10K-10K club, he entered the club with an extra 20,000 points to spare.

Jorge Sierra: Michael Jordan at 35 is the oldest player to lead the NBA in scoring in a season. If LeBron keeps it up, he would beat that record at age 37.

–12:51 AM The Ringer@ ringernba LeBron with the pullup three for the lead. On Jeanie’s view, the Phil Jackson factor, Rob Pelinka’s status, the LeBron landscape and more. But the story of the game has been LeBron James, who is up to 47 pts –12:48 AM Kyle Goon@ kylegoon LeBron with the and-1 finish as he knocks Kispert to the floor. They go to PHX and play the Suns on Sunday. –12:58 AM Allen Sliwa@ AllenSliwa After his latest basket, LeBron James shook his head and then gave the crazy hand signal. LeBron with the pullup three for the lead. But the story of the game has been LeBron James, who is up to 47 pts – LeBron with the and-1 finish as he knocks Kispert to the floor. They go to PHX and play the Suns on Sunday. – After his latest basket, LeBron James shook his head and then gave the crazy hand signal.

Behind a strong second half and a vintage game from their MVP, the Lakers pulled away for a win over the Washington Wizards.

Westbrook had a horrific offensive outing against Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma, two of the men he was traded for last summer. Monk gave the team a boost when he re-entered the game in the fourth quarter by hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to push L.A.’s lead to eight. In the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers looked stagnant and somewhat lackadaisical. Johnson played a solid game at both ends of the floor. He recorded two steals. He grew hot and stayed hot, turning in one of his best performances of the season and possibly of his four years with the team.

LeBron James has resisted "load management" over the last few years. With a bad left knee, will he finally give in and sit games out?

He had a poor shooting game against Houston and was unable to win the contest for L.A. at the end of regulation. Injuries have been perhaps the biggest reason L.A. has a dismal 28-37 record. Several weeks ago, he missed five consecutive games because of that troublesome knee.

As LeBron James ages, his greatness as a player is tested more often than ever, but in a season where the Lakers have struggled to meet expectations, ...

It’s the burden of being the best player and the leader of the team. It’s not realistic to ask LeBron to be the player he was when dominating the Warriors every night. Russell Westbrook was brought in to be the team’s third star and help insulate LeBron from having to be the team’s main offensive shot creator, not scuffle his way through most of the year and have his already sketchy efficiency fall off even more. Father time is undefeated, and while LeBron is keeping him at bay for longer than any great player ever has, it’d be silly to ignore the hints of him showing his age and losing an MPH or two off his fastball as he gets closer to his 40th birthday than his 30th one. His teammates can — and do — take their cues from him each night, and with that comes a certain responsibility to hold himself to the same standards he holds them. the Rockets, LeBron has been quick to throw up his hands, gesture to the bench, hang his head, or slump his shoulders in frustration at what a teammate does wrong, all while playing with a level of individual engagement that falls well below his own standard. After spending more than half his life as an NBA player, he should be resting on the 2nd night of back-to-backs, having his minutes capped at 32 to 34 a night, and, at most, playing as a 1B to a second star, not playing 45 minutes as the main option in an OT game against one of the worst teams in the league while dealing with a sore knee. Further, with every year truly a championship-or-bust scenario, to have a season so clearly falling short of expectations has to be maddening for LeBron. Whatever hand he had in helping to build this roster — and by all accounts, he was heavily involved — it does not ease the frustration that comes from losing this much, or make it at all more palatable. It’s also a reminder of the level he can still reach, and the impact he can still have in any given game, even with over 60,000 career minutes on his legs. forced, giving the ball up early in possessions and looking content to let his teammates try to make a play as he stands and watches. After the game, head coach Frank Vogel framed the game as LeBron showing his will to win and to carry his team, and we all just nodded in agreement. He was, once again, the best player on the floor on a night his team needed exactly that.