LeBron James is on top of the NBA world once again, after he led the Los Angeles Lakers to the franchise’s 17th overall championship. After winning his fourth NBA ring with his third NBA team, there is no question that James already makes a case to become the greatest player ever to play in the league.
However with James not slowing down anytime soon, there are still some milestones that The King can still achieve in his career that will only further cement his already decorated legacy in the NBA. For this piece, let’s take a look at five career milestones that the Lakers champion can still achieve in the latter stage of his career.
5. Most Number of All-Star Game Selections
LeBron James currently has 16 NBA All-Star selections under his belt, which ranks him third in the record books. Only fellow Laker greats in the late Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have more All-Star Game selections than The King, with 18 and 19 selections respectively.
Although James is currently at age 35, LBJ doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of slowing down, as he continues to showcase his dominance by putting up MVP numbers. It is worth noting that The King has appeared in the NBA All-Star Games since 2005, with him being the Team Captain from 2017-2020 (since the NBA changed the All-Star Game Teams format) and declared the All-Star Game MVP on three occasions.
With James continuing to put up solid individual performances, it is highly likely James will remain as a fixture in the All-Star Game festivities and eventually claim the top spot for most All-Star Game selections. Barring any injuries and the questionable future brought about by the Coronavirus pandemic, LeBron James is expected to easily pass Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the next four seasons for most assists and all-star selections.
4. Breaking the Top Five in Most Career Assists in NBA History
When it comes to the category of most assists, one would expect to see a handful of guards. However with James’ excellent playmaking abilities for his size, LBJ currently sits at the eight spot of this list. The only other player that can match LBJ’s assists and size is no other than the great Magic Johnson. LeBron currently has dished out 9,346 assists in his NBA career and realistically speaking, The King can climb to the Top Five in the next two seasons. With Chris Paul being the only active player ahead of James with 9,653 assists, it makes it all the more possible to cement his legacy as one of the best playmakers in the NBA despite standing at 6’9.
Aside from James’ passing abilities, there is no question that the Lakers forward will have some reliable teammates to pass to with Anthony Davis expected to re-sign with the Lakers and veterans such as former MVP Derrick Rose rumored to join James for the next season.
With LeBron James continuing to be a top-tier facilitator for the Lakers while being surrounded with talented teammates, it is far from impossible to see LBJ climb up to the top five in the assists leaderboard.
3. Conquer the Top Spot in the All-time Scoring List
With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holding the top spot in terms of career points in the NBA with 38,387 points since 1984, it was difficult to see who would eventually conquer this magnificent feat. But with LeBron James continuing to play his basketball at a prime level, there is no question that the King found himself just two to three seasons away from surpassing Kareem in the all-time scoring record books.
Currently, James is sitting at the third spot just behind Karl Malone with 34,241 points. He recently surpassed the late Kobe Bryant when he scored 29 points in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers in January 2020.
The Lakers forward is a nightmare to defend in transition and fastbreaks. Furthermore with his improved shooting from long range, James became even more dangerous on the court as opponents would have to think twice about giving him the open look from downtown.
Although the Lakers forward will eventually give the role of the leader to Anthony Davis, assuming they will continue to play together, James can still be a scoring threat anytime he sets foot on the court. Alongside Davis, James can still put up 25 points per outing which he proved in the recent 2019-2020 season.
2. Hold the Most Number of Regular Season MVP Trophies and Be the Oldest Player to Win One.
LeBron James has won four NBA Regular Season MVP Awards in his career, with his last being in 2013. The only players to have more than him are Michael Jordan, who is tied with Bill Russell with five, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with six. Although it has been seven years since LeBron won his last NBA MVP trophy, the Lakers forward has been sensational individually. But despite this, James became a MVP snub on multiple occasions.
Throughout the years, James has been a fixture in the regular season scoring leaders while doing it at an efficient clip. On top of that, he also managed to put up near double-digit figures in terms of rebounds and assists which arguably made him the best all-around player. But more importantly, LBJ made his teams reach the NBA Finals with exception to the 2018-2019 NBA season. But despite these accomplishments, the King was never crowned the regular season MVP trophy after 2013.
With the Lakers now gunning for another title, there’s no question that one can expect James to perform individually great for at least two more seasons. Because of this, it is highly possible that James can win another MVP or two to tie Kareem for the most regular season MVPs. Not to mention, he would also be surpassing great players like Bill Russell and Michael Jordan in this category which also gives The King more leverage when it comes to the GOAT debate.
Now at age 35, James could also become the oldest player to win the trophy if ever he wins it in the next season. At this moment, the oldest player to ever win it was Karl Malone in 1999. The former Jazz forward won it at 35 years of age. Although Jordan also won it at 35, His Airness was younger when he was declared the MVP. With James turning 36 next season, he would also achieve another feat that is a testament to his longevity and would only prove that his best basketball years aren’t over.
1.Win Another NBA Championship or Two
Speaking of the GOAT debate, the biggest disadvantage James ever had against Michael Jordan was the number of rings in his championship collection. With James successfully winning a ring with the Lakers this year, LBJ is just two more away from tying Jordan which can definitely cement his basketball legacy and earn more respect from the NBA basketball world that he desires. Although James will never match Jordan’s undefeated streak in a NBA Finals series, matching his ring collection will be an enormous feat.
Even if LeBron James had a tremendous feat in leading the Lakers to a championship, The King has showed signs that he is hungry for more. According to a tweet by Bleacher Report, LeBron James’ Instagram story saw him watching Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ documentary The Last Dance just after freshly winning a championship in the NBA Bubble while putting the caption “Back at it doing my homework.”
With James not slowing down anytime soon and Anthony Davis playing alongside him, there’s no doubt that they are a formidable duo that can win more than one NBA championship. Because of this, it is highly possible that James can win another championship ring or two in the near future. If James does accomplish this feat, there is hardly any player that comes to mind who can solidify his greatness as much as LeBron did.
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