LeBron James has accomplished so much in 19 seasons and at 37 years old, he is still arguably one of the best players in the NBA. He has four championships, (two with the Miami Heat, one with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and one with the Los Angeles Lakers) four MVP awards, four NBA Finals MVP awards, multiple All-star appearances, All-Star MVP awards, and two Olympic gold medals, among other accolades.
During the 2021-22 season, LeBron once again defied all odds. He averaged 30.3 points 8.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game. These stats are unheard of for someone his age.
The age at which NBA players usually retire is 34. LeBron has shown that age is just a number and he does not plan on retiring any time soon.
LeBron James probably won’t retire with the Los Angeles Lakers
During a Twitter Q&A between him and his followers, LeBron was asked when he plans to move on from basketball and he replied that he can “go on for a min.” He also stated in an interview with The Athletic that he wants to play his last season with his son, Bronny James.
"“My last year will be played with my son,” LeBron told the outlet. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”"
James is not eligible to enter the draft until 2024, thus we can expect to see LeBron play for at least three more seasons. And if he continues to play at an elite level, then LeBron will have no trouble moving up the Lakers leaderboard in these three categories.
3. Three-pointers made
LeBron has a total of1 3,543 field goals made. In February 2021 he passed Wilt Chamberlain to move up to the No.3 spot in the NBA’s list of all-time field goals made.
During the 2021-22 season, he shot 35.9 percent from the three-point line and connected on 2.9 percent of his three-pointers per game. LeBron made a total of 161 threes during the 56 games that he played.
His 161 three-pointers this past season and overall 524 threes with Los Angeles put him at No.5 in franchise history for three-point field goals. At No 4. in the franchise is Byron Scott with 594. LeBron would need 71 three-pointers made to take the No.4 spot from Scott and 227 to move up to the No.3 spot.
If LeBron stays healthy, there is no doubt that he can make 71 threes to move up the franchise leaderboard.
He also has a chance to move up the NBA’s all-time leaderboard for 3-pointers made. He has made 2,140 threes in his career and is currently at the No.11 spot behind Paul Pierce and Damian Lillard. He only needs four more threes to pass them to take the No.9 spot on the list and 82 more threes to take the No.8 spot from Jamal Crawford.
2. Assists percentage
One aspect of being a great leader is the ability to create plays and LeBron knows all about that. During the 2021-22 season, he averaged 6.2 assists per game. His franchise average is 8.2, placings him at No. 2 on the leaderboard.
But what makes him even better is the accuracy in which he can read the defense and know when to pass the ball to get his teammates an open shot. During the past season, LeBron had an assist percentage of 30.6. His franchise average is 40.4 percent, putting him at No.2 on the leaderboard.
Magic Johnson currently holds the No.1 spot with 40.9 percent. Next season LeBron would need to have a 43.9 percent assist percentage to move up on the leaderboard and pass Johnson.
During the 2019-20 season, LeBron had a 49.1 user percentage. He was dishing out 10.2 assists per game. This was also the season that the Lakers won the championship. Everyone knows LeBron can score whenever he needs to but when he gets other players going, that is when the team becomes unstoppable.
1. Points per game
When LeBron retires he will go down as one of the greatest to ever play the game of basketball. His athleticism, his ability to change the dynamic of any team for the better, his confidence, and his basketball IQ is what makes him so good.
LeBron has only played four seasons with Los Angeles and he is already top-five in points per game. He currently holds the No.4 spot on the franchise leaderboard with an average of 27.0 points a game, behind Laker legends Shaq and Jerry West, who each also have an average of 27.0 points per game as a Laker. The No.1 spot on the leaderboard belongs to Elgin Baylor who averaged 27.4 points a game.
This past season LeBron averaged 30.3 points a game. If he continues to average 30 points per game during the 2022-23 season he will take the No.1 spot from Elgin Baylor.
Not only would LeBron pass Baylor but he would also take the No.1 spot from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the NBA’s all-time points list.
Grading the Los Angeles Lakers selection of Max Christie
Nobody had any idea what direction the team would take with the 35th overall pick, but the Lakers got their guy in Michigan State guard Max Christie.
LeBron has scored 37,062 points and Abdul-Jabbar has 38,387. He would need to score 1,326 points to pass Abdul-Jabbar. If he averages 30 points over 45 games he will have scored the most points in NBA history.
Next season should be an exciting one and since LeBron is under contract through the 2022-23 season, Laker fans will get to witness him first-hand continue to make history.