LeBron James, among the biggest stars in the history of US basketball, will continue to write his legend with a 6th season in the popular Lakers franchise, which is chasing a record 18th title to overtake the Boston Celtics. In the spring, swept away in the Western Conference final by future champion Denver, he expressed doubts for the first time about the rest of his career. “At that time, I was exhausted, mentally I wasn’t quite there anymore,” he explained, then persuaded to continue with “conversations with my family and with myself. I feel like I still have some reserve, I’m happy to leave for a season hoping to lead this team to the promised land,” assured the four-time NBA champion (2012, 2013 with Miami, 2016 with Cleveland and 2020 with the Lakers).
At the end of July, the “King” experienced a huge scare with the cardiac arrest of his son Bronny during training, due to a congenital illness. The offspring is now “on his way back to the floors” of the University of Southern California (USC). “Obviously I’m going to play this 21st season for Bronny after what happened.” LeBron James dreams of being able to play in the NBA with his son, who will be able to enter the 2024 draft. Now the oldest player in the championship, also the highest paid according to Forbes (all cumulative income) with more than $117 million in one season (around 110 million euros), LeBron remains the face of his franchise.
Captain, he is at the heart of the Lakers project even when he is not playing, like during the pre-season match against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 15, where, in civilian clothes, he advised his teammates at each stoppage in play. colossus (2.06 m, 113 kilos) carefully maintains a titanium body to physically dominate much younger opponents. Victor Wembanyama, attraction of the season and the most anticipated rookie since James, was not born when the “King” debuted in 2003. New Lakers player, winger Christian Wood hoped to make a good impression by arriving well in advance at a Lakers training camp in San Diego recently. “All that to come across LeBron James, already sweating.” “He trains like a rookie,” confirms his manager Rob Pelinka.
Not always effective last season, the Lakers strengthened this summer with Wood, but also Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes. “The sky is the limit,” says coach Darvin Ham, who can always count on All-Star pivot Anthony Davis. James, despite his age, has managed to maintain an immense statistical contribution, he who was still averaging nearly 29 points per game (8.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists) last year. His stats and longevity allowed him to become the best scorer in the history of the league last season (now 38,652 points) ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This season he could overtake Kevin Willis, Kevin Garnett and Karl Malone to take 6th place among players with the most matches played.
LeBron James is also 4th in assists, 9th in steals, 10th in defensive rebounds. Present on all fronts, he is working behind the scenes to form a “dream team” for the Paris Olympic Games in 2024 with the United States, having already won titles in 2008 and 2012. Many stars of the league, including Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, responded favorably to his call, after the pitiful 4th place of “Team USA” at the World Cup this summer.
