Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has put up a better fight against Father Time than any other player we have seen in NBA history. Despite being in his 18th season in the league, being 36 years of age, and already ranking seventh all-time in career minutes played.
Although he has an insanely high number of basketball miles on his body, James is still one of the most durable players the game has ever seen. This season, he had one of the biggest leaves of absence of his career due to an ankle injury that kept him sidelined for 19 full consecutive games.
In light of his return to action, he was asked if he felt like he was back to 100% health. The answer that James gave may be rather concerning to fans of the Lakers.
After his first game back against the Sacramento Kings, James was quoted as saying, “For my first game in six weeks, I felt OK, as far as my wind, I felt pretty good. As far as my ankle, it was a little tight at times, obviously. But I came out unscathed and pretty good.”
Almost immediately after that quote, James left LA’s game against the Toronto Raptors and sat out a win against the Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers say LeBron James, who checked out with nearly seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, did not return against Toronto because of a sore right ankle.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 3, 2021
When further asked about the recovery process with his ankle, James said, “I knew I wasn’t going to get back to 100%. It’s impossible,” he said. “I don’t think I will ever get back to 100% in my career.”
Lakers: These comments from LeBron James should raise some red flags
If James is not playing like the LeBron James that millions have come to know and love, the Lakers will have little to no chance of bringing home another NBA title this season. James has to be the best player on the roster, or only slightly behind Anthony Davis, for the Lakers to achieve their team goals this season and avoid the play-in tournament.
Along with this, there are a handful of personal achievements that James must achieve before he retires to be seen as the greatest of all time in the eyes of many. Some of those goals being at least two more championships, one more MVP, and becoming the all-time leader in career points.
Continued longevity and being able to perform at 100% is necessary for James to achieve these accolades.
Ideally, this is LeBron using the media to lower the guard of teams around the league. If a team is going into a playoff series against the Lakers in which they expect James to not be playing like himself, they become a much easier team to defeat.
However, if it is not, James and the rest of the world may be forced to come to terms with the fact that LeBron’s best days may be behind us and the future of the Los Angeles Lakers may be in jeopardy.
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