LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 07: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after scoring to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer, surpassing Abdul-Jabbar's career total of 38,387 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena on February 07, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
It’s taken 20 seasons, but it might be time to admit that LeBron James has found his footing in the NBA. In the midst of a playoff matchup with the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers star was named to the All-NBA Third Team Wednesday.
Since his third season in 2005, he has never missed out on the end-of-year honor and appeared on the First Team for 11 straight seasons between 2008 and 2018. At age 38, James joins Tim Duncan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the oldest players to ever be named to an all-league team.
James’ 2022-23 season does not necessarily match up to his performances of yesteryear, but with 28.9 points per game to go along with 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists, his performance for Los Angeles still eclipsed those of most players in the league. In fact, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham believes that James deserved more recognition for his season under the circumstances.
“Lakers head coach Darvin Ham says it’s ‘amazing’ that LeBron James made the all-NBA third team at 38 years old, and he should’ve been named to the first team for excelling at his age,” ESPN’s Marc J. Spears reported after the announcement.
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Together with Anthony Davis, James led the Lakers to the playoffs despite a disastrous start to the season and helped spring an upset over the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. The team now holds a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Warriors, a team James has had considerable history with.
James has had not had a storied rivalry with Golden State since joining the Lakers in the Western Conference, but as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, he met Steph Curry and company in countless big games. This playoff matchup has proven to be a highly effective reprise of previous classics and is doubtlessly James’ primary focus ahead of individual awards.
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