Three-time champion Dwyane Wade fired back at critics who feel that Lakers superstar LeBron James is washed.
James, who is a long-time friend and former teammate of Wade, put on a fantastic show in Tuesday night's 118-112 victory over the Chicago Bulls. The King logged 35 minutes, scoring a team-high 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field (2-of-6 from beyond the arc), 11 assists, 10 rebounds, two steals and one block. It was James' third consecutive triple-double, and he's now the oldest player in NBA history to achieve that feat. He also became the first player to post three consecutive triple-doubles for the Lakers since Magic Johnson had four in a row in 1987.
“It comes with team success for me,” James said via ESPN. “A triple-double means absolutely nothing to me if it's not in a win.”
The @Lakers LeBron James is the oldest player in NBA history to record three consecutive triple-doubles. James is 34 years and 310 days old today, slightly older than Jason Kidd was when he recorded his third straight triple-double on Jan. 8, 2008 (34 years, 291 days).
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) November 6, 2019
Dwyane Wade, who knows James more than just about anyone, had a message for the naysayers:
Wait who said @KingJames was washed 😂 😂😂😂😂!!???? If 27,8,8 was washed last season where do 99 percent of basketball players sign up??? Y’all need to quit with this click bait news #FakeNews
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) November 6, 2019
James and the Lakers (6-1) are off to a terrific start to this season. They're currently riding the wave of a six-game winning streak, and things are looking bright. With James and Anthony Davis leading the charge, Los Angeles is already being viewed as a top contender in the Western Conference.
Last season, James went down with a groin injury, which forced him to miss a substantial amount of time. As a result, the Lakers fell further and further out of playoff contention. This season, however, the Kid from Akron is rejuvenated, and he seems to be on a mission.
Through his first seven games played this season, James has racked up averages of 26.1 points on 48.1 percent shooting from the field (28.9 percent from downtown), a career-high 11.1 assists, 8.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 35.0 minutes per outing.
James and the Lakers will be back in action on Friday night, when they'll serve as hosts to the Miami Heat. Tip-off inside the STAPLES Center is set for 10:30 p.m. ET, with NBA TV having live broadcast coverage.
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