LeBron James is inarguably on the Mount Rushmore of basketball whether you’d like to admit it or not.
Although he had to join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami to create the “Big Three” before he could win his first NBA title, he’s shown time and time again – even with his second stint in Cleveland that he’s capable of leading his team to a championship.
But LeBron James just got a huge awakening about his career.
LeBron James is a once in a generation talent who became one of the most famous athletes in the world while he was still in high school.
Although he had abysmal teams in his first years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he still consistently made strong pushes into the playoffs.
Then he left his hometown team (technically it’s Akron, Ohio) to infamously “guarantee” many championships – seven to be precise – and after a rough first year, he became the undisputed best player in basketball during his second and he’s maintained that title up until right about now.
In the offseason, he took his talents to Hollywood to lead one of the most coveted franchises in all of sports – the Los Angeles Lakers.
And they are currently 11th in the conference playoff seedings, a solid three spots out of 8th place with a quarter of the season left and a rough road ahead.
All of this means that the likelihood of this player who has made it to the NBA Finals for eight years won’t make the playoffs for the first time since 2005. That’s not Michael Jordan greatness obviously but it’s impressive nonetheless.
So what’s been going on with LeBron James and these Los Angeles Lakers? Has James lost a step? Quite possibly. Maybe it’s that he’s getting older at 34-years-old, which is pretty old for a guy with so many miles on his body.
Or it’s his lethargic pacing and apathy towards his teammates who he’s thrown under the bus lately, calling out his teammates for being “distracted,” when the irony is that he’s the one that seems the most unfocused.
James has shown probably the worst defense in his career since he came back from his groin injury earlier this month.
Look at James’ lack of discipline here.
My God. This is art.
pic.twitter.com/mx2xkz3Fdk— Tweetgood Mac (@SnottieDrippen) February 26, 2019
What is he even doing? Is he just throwing in the towel on the season because they are so far back in the playoff seedings and they know they’d have to run into the juggernaut Golden State Warriors at some point so it’s a lost cause?
That’s a terrible way for a competitor to look at the situation, if true. Michael Jordan would have never done that.
Even Stephen A. Smith recognizes that the biggest problem with the Lakers is James when he said, “The biggest problem with the Los Angeles Lakers is LeBron James. We have got to stop calling LeBron James the best player in the world. We’ve got to stop that right now.”
Maybe that’s true. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis or James Harden might have all surpassed him this season. Specifically, Antetokounmpo and Harden because of how they carried their respective teams this season.
The James era might not be over considering he still has three more years on his 4-year deal with the Lakers left on his contract, but it might be the end of his “best player in the world” title.