Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron gets a gift in win over Spurs, 5 Lessons

SAN ANTONIO, TX - DECEMBER 30 LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers hangs on the rim after dunk during first half action at AT&T Center on December 30, 2020 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - DECEMBER 30 LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers hangs on the rim after dunk during first half action at AT&T Center on December 30, 2020 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) /

Happy Birthday LeBron James! Thought a Los Angeles Lakers post game would start with anyone else?

Did you really think we would start with Wesley Matthews? Any other game this season, he would get top billing (More on him later!), but not on December 30th. LeBron celebrated his 36th birthday, increasing his NBA legend that is increasing by the game that has now covered three franchises.

LeBron finished the game with a stat line of 26 points (11-23 shooting!), 5 rebounds, 8 assists, a steal and a block. He didn’t match his scoring average but he accomplished something more incredible. His all time record scoring in double figures reached his 1000th straight game. The next active player behind LeBron at this point is James Harden at 411. Let’s put this all in perspective.

  • For James Harden to even have a shot at catching LeBron, it looks like the “King” has to retire and even then it will almost six years of double figure games to have a conversation.
  • LeBron passed Michael Jordan for the longest double-digit scoring streak a couple of seasons ago on March 30, 2018 for the top spot with 867 consecutive games of at least 10 points.
  • LeBron James has only eight single digit scoring games in his career. 
  • His last single digit game was back in 2007. He’s had three close calls of 10 points since.
  • Larry Bird had 897 games in his entire career.
  • Magic Johnson had 906 games in his entire career.

The story surrounding LeBron is no longer about the level of his play all time, but the current era spanning 18 years. Outside of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Maybe!) no player in history has sustained the greatness. He even broke 1000 games with a Kareem-esque hook shot.

LeBron James has set the standard for longevity. This is not saying it won’t be seen again in the future, but good luck to anyone matching it.

Then there’s the list of accomplishments on the Hall of Fame resume.

  • Four time NBA champion.
  • Four time Finals MVP
  • Four time NBA MVP. (Seven times he was runner up!).
  • 13 times First team All-NBA.
  • Eight straight trips to the NBA Finals. Including last year’s winning team, nine of the last ten!
  • Two Gold Medals.
  • 16 time NBA All-Star.
  • That’s just the accomplishments on the basketball floor. There are so many other ways that he has affected change in society.

It’s a real shame 2020 will affect LeBron James so he can’t celebrate his birthday with a party (Those posts on his IG page from the past are tight!), but the Los Angeles Lakers made sure that a loss didn’t add to his disappointment.

Happy Birthday LeBron James from Lake Show Life!

The next player caused quite a ruckus in the comment section of the last Lake Show Life Lessons. Most understood why his statistics didn’t matter in the Lakers loss to Portland while there’s always that one that believe that highlights and box scores tell the story. Read Lesson Two to see what this means.