The Los Angeles Lakers and the rest of the NBA can only wait to see what the future holds for the remainder of the 2019-20 season. The league and its players are holding out hope that play can resume even if it is in an isolated city like Las Vegas.
On Wednesday, LeBron James spoke to a limited number of media members for the first time since the season was suspended last month. James opened up about the prospect of a canceled season and how it will be difficult to get some closure if he and the Lakers are unable to see how things ultimately pan out, via Mark Medina of USA Today.
Before the season was suddenly interrupted and suspended during the coronavirus outbreak, the Lakers were well on their way to securing the top seed in the Western Conference. LeBron and company were already able to snap the franchise's longest playoff drought by clinching a spot in the postseason and were battling with the Milwaukee Bucks for the best record in the NBA.
At 49-14, the Lakers were five and a half games ahead of the rival L.A. Clippers in the West and hitting their stride. The dynamic duo of LeBron and Anthony Davis were able to get the best of the Bucks and Clippers in consecutive games and turned a lot of heads around the league as a result.
James was also making a strong case to compete with Giannis Antetokounmpo for this season's NBA MVP award. LeBron was leading the league in assists per game at 10.6 before the season came to a drastic halt. He was able to continue holding Father Time at bay while giving the Lakers a legitimate chance of winning a 17th NBA title.
Only time will tell if the season resumes, and James can keep his hopes alive of winning a fourth title in his 17th season in the NBA.