Even at nearly 40 years old, LeBron James remains one of the league’s most elite superstars. This season, in perhaps his best stretch yet as a Laker, LeBron has put the whole world on notice and he’s setting new standards for excellence after 20 seasons in the league. And according to Celtics legend Paul Pierce, he’s not even close to being done.
“He gon’ finish with more than that,” Paul Pierce said after Kevin Garnett indicated that James will retire with 41,000 points. “How many he got now? Yeah, he gon’ end up with like 45,000.”
LeBron already leads the all-time scoring list with a career total of 39,257 points. It remains to be seen how much longer LeBron can keep it going like this but if he’s playing anywhere near this level for the next two or three years, he could easily stretch his scoring total into the 45,000 mark which would dwarf Kareem’s scoring record.
An Unprecedented Run For The King
45,000 career points was a milestone once considered unachievable, but LeBron James has broken all expectations. In a run that has spanned over 20 years now (and still ongoing today), James has built one of the greatest resumes in basketball history as a 4x MVP, 4x NBA champion, and 19x All-Star. With titles in Miami, Cleveland, and Los Angeles, LeBron has delivered on every promise so far and has never failed to live up to the hype.
Going forward, it’s easy to expect a slow and gradual decline for James but his unprecedented victory against Father Time marks uncharted territory for the NBA. Never before have we seen this level of longevity from a superstar and we may never see it again given how long James has been dominating the basketball scene. But to truly cement his legacy as the GOAT, and surpass Jordan in the eyes of his greatest critics, LeBron is going to have to win at least one more title and he’s still more than capable of pulling it off.
Lakers In Win-Now Mode
With LeBron turning back the clock on his game, the Lakers have a unique opportunity to compete this season. Besides the health and prosperity of LeBron, the key to a successful season rests on the shoulders of Anthony Davis, who has been the embodiment of inconsistency since his 2020 championship run. Davis, who is averaging 2.6 blocks this season, has shown flashes of brilliance on both ends of the floor but he lacks the consistency to take over as their leader and closer.
This season, at 15-11, the Lakers look like the team that made the Western Conference Finals last spring. With James leading the way, and Davis setting the tone defensively, the Lakers still pose a serious threat in the race for the Larry O’Brien trophy and LeBron is still blowing past everyone like it’s 2012. If the league isn’t careful, he might even have one more Finals run left in him and it would put to bed the GOAT debate once and for all.
