LeBron James: 2 more years in Los Angeles
LeBron James is now 35 years old (he turns 36 on 30 December 2020) and has been playing in the NBA for almost 18 years, a long time, you might say. Still, LeBron can’t seem to get enough of it and is signing another 2-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. A lot has happened over all those years: ups and downs, championships and losses. Here is a short look back at his career and a look ahead to the future.
At least 2 more years with the seventeen-time champions
Superstar James is staying with the Los Angeles Lakers through the 2022/2023 season. He will reportedly earn $85 million, which converts to more than €70 million. One reason for extending his contract may be that good friend and teammate Anthony Davis has re-signed with the Lakers. Davis was originally only going to play in LA for one year, but has signed on for another 5 years. James and Davis may well be one of the most historic duos in basketball, both averaging 25+ PPG. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal last did this in 2002.
Looking back on a brilliant career
It all started when LeBron James was drafted in 2003 by the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his first year in the NBA, he was named Rookie of the Year. During his time in Cleveland, he was voted league MVP (Most Valuable Player) two years in a row. He made the playoffs several times with the Cavaliers and even reached the Finals once, but had yet to win a title.
In 2010, James made the move to the Miami Heat. In his first season he came very close to a championship, but LeBron and the Heat were beaten in the Finals by the Dallas Mavericks. In the 2011/2012 season, he finally managed to win a title. Even better, he and the Miami Heat became back-to-back champions. In the 2012/2013 season, the San Antonio Spurs were beaten in the Finals. On top of that, James was also back-to-back Finals MVP.
2014 was the year LeBron James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In that first season they reached the Finals, but were beaten by the Golden State Warriors. The following season they made the Finals again and faced the same opponent as the year before. Finally, James became NBA champion, for the first time in Cavaliers franchise history. In these Finals, James put up numbers that had rarely been seen. He became the 5th player to score more than 40 points in two games of the NBA Finals. They reached the Finals again in 2017 and 2018, but lost to the Golden State Warriors.
In 2018, it was time for a new step again, and LeBron James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. His first year in LA started very well: he climbed to 5th place on the NBA all-time scoring list and scored a season-high 51 points in a game. That joy was short-lived. James suffered a groin injury and missed 17 games. Without James, the Lakers didn’t even make the playoffs. In 2019 he came back, passed Michael Jordan on the NBA all-time scoring list and took over 4th place. For the first time since the 2004/2005 season, LeBron did not make the playoffs. Still, he also passed Kobe Bryant on the NBA all-time scoring list and is now in 3rd place. A bad 2019 season was completely made up for when he and the Lakers captured the 17th title in franchise history in 2020. With this, James also became the first player ever to win a championship and the MVP trophy with 3 different teams.
What more can LeBron James show in the future?
In the next two years in LA, James will certainly try to climb higher on the NBA all-time scoring list. He is currently in 3rd place, with only Karl Malone in 2nd place and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1st place still ahead of him. Beyond that, he will of course do everything he can to win his second title with the Lakers. What LeBron will do further down the line is not yet known; he isn’t saying much yet about what he will do after these 2 years in Los Angeles. Maybe he will stay even longer, make another move or call it a career. Let’s not think about that too much yet and just enjoy this world-class player.
