UNITED STATES—LeBron James was brought to Los Angeles to win an NBA Championship for the Lakers. It was apparent the moment his blockbuster move from Cleveland was announced. He did, of course, help achieve that goal in his second season. He wasn’t alone, with others, including Anthony Davis and the criminally underrated Danny Green, doing their part. But James was the centerpiece, as has been the case for the entirety of his multi-decade career.
That James is one of the best players of this generation should not be in doubt. On socials, there’s often debate over James or Jordan, but it becomes tiresome to see the superlatives compared in different eras. It’s a moot point, best reserved for schoolyard brags rather than serious discussion. Yet, we would say that, while James’ talents are obvious to anyone who follows the game, there have been doubts about his ability to maintain excellence at the age of 41. Arguably, those doubts have been cast aside this season, particularly in the early part of the Playoffs.
James’ peers have mostly retired
James is the NBA’s oldest active player. To put his longevity in perspective, consider that James was drafted No. 1 overall in 2003. The players drafted at No.1 in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 have all had their careers, with varying levels of success, and are now retired. James came first and is the last man standing. But he is doing more than hanging around. He can still influence games and moments, and he can still put up numbers worthy of any elite star.
The Lakers entered the 2026 postseason unfancied in the NBA Playoffs betting markets. In fact, James was being mocked on social media because the Lakers would go into the Playoffs depleted by injuries, missing Luka Doncic in particular. It would, the detractors said, show James up, as he could no longer be supported by an elite roster. James didn’t do it all alone in the Lakers’ first-round series win over the Houston Rockets, but he was key. Put it this way: if there were an MVP award for first-round series, he would have won it.
James starred against the Rockets
The Lakers’ defeat of the Rockets, including fighting off a series comeback, was the perfect riposte for the critics. At the time of writing, the Lakers are locked in a Western Conference semi-final series with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where LA is highly unfavored against the defending champion. But James might still have something to say.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=pl80_nOEgbw%3Fsi%3DoqJ09jCmpd0tJs5d
He has now amassed over 8,000 points in the NBA Playoffs. If James were a franchise, only seven teams would have more playoff wins than he does (192). Indeed, when you consider the Jordan vs. James comparisons, consider that James has been involved in more playoff victories than the entire Chicago Bulls franchise (187) in its 60-year history. There are numerous other statistical anomalies and superlatives we could cite.
We don’t know what will come next for James, either in LA or elsewhere in the NBA. As we said, his greatness is not in doubt, but he has proven this season – his 23rd in the NBA – that he still has so much to offer.
