Over the course of his illustrious career, Los Angeles Lakers superstar small forward LeBron James has accomplished virtually everything there is to achieve as it pertains to the NBA landscape. From regular season league MVP's, to Finals MVP's, to championships, to All-Star games, in addition to becoming the league's all-time leading scorer and its all-time leading playoff scorer, James has dominated the NBA scene for over two decades now, and continues to do so in the present day as a member of the Lakers, who are currently gearing up for what they hope is a long run in the upcoming NBA postseason.
However, there are some things that even James has yet to accomplish that still bother the superstar to this day. James recently took to an episode of his own show “The Shop” to discuss the one award he hasn't one that frustrates him the most.
“Defensive player of the year,” said James when asked if there's anything he hasn't accomplished yet that he would have liked to have, per The Shop on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter. “I mean, that's the only award that I don't have in my house. It kind of stings. I've talked about this before. Like, it don't make sense. It's almost like what (Jay-Z) just said about (Beyonce). How can she have the most Grammys but never won Album of the Year? So the year I finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year award, the guy who won Defensive Player of the Year award didn't even make first team all defense.”
The year James is referring to–the 2012-13 season, which was arguably the greatest individual season in NBA history–saw the then-Miami Heat star lose out on Defensive Player of the Year honors to Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, who, as James mentioned, failed to even make the first team all-defense that season.
Ironically enough, James and Gasol would become teammates eight years later on the Lakers during the 2020-21 season, which saw the Lakers bow out to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
LeBron James' unmatched legacy
While fans have differing opinions on who the true “greatest of all time” of the sport of basketball is, the point remains that in his prime, no player in NBA history can match up with the combination of skill, basketball IQ, and physical ability that LeBron James brought to the table.
While his athleticism has (somewhat) diminished in recent seasons and injuries occur a bit more frequently now, James still possesses that otherworldly knowledge of the game and all of the skills that have made him an all-time great. In fact, in some respects, James' skills are only improving during his Lakers tenure, as the star is shooting north of 40% from 3-point range this season for only the second time in his storied career.
In any case, as the mileage racks up, James and the Lakers surely understand that each playoff run, such as the one coming up, grow more and more important with each year.
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