3 things that LeBron James could do in the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season to solidify his GOAT status
LeBron James is about to begin his 19th season in the NBA. As the curtains open on the 75th anniversary season of the league, LeBron will lead the LA Lakers’ challenge in the upcoming season at age 36. Given that LeBron celebrates his birthday on December 30, he will be 37 by the end of the regular season. That he is still playing at an elite level, even at this stage of his career, says a lot about LeBron’s claim to the greatest of all-time (GOAT) status.
LeBron is a 17-time All-Star. He is a four-time NBA champion, four-time Finals MVP and four-time regular season MVP. He was the 2004 Rookie of the Year and is a 17-time All-NBA member. There is no denying that he has a definite place in the GOAT conversation, but he could further enhance his claim as the first among equals since he still has some distance to go before he calls time on his career. With that perspective, we look at three such things that LeBron could do to solidify his hold on GOAT status in the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season.
#1 LeBron could win Defensive Player of the Year
The NBA’s DPOY honor was given out for the first time in the 1982-83 season, which is why Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell never won it. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s best days were probably behind him by the time the award came into existence. Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Shaquille O’Neal or Kobe Bryant never won the honor, but that doesn’t nullify their name being taken in the GOAT conversation.
But if LeBron can add this honor to his list of NBA achievements, it would be a huge feather in his cap. LeBron has made it to six NBA All-Defensive teams, but the lack of a DPOY award gives Michael Jordan fans legitimate bragging rights over LeBron's backers on this count. Jordan won the DPOY in the 1987-88 season.
The difficult thing for LeBron is that he is 36 at the moment. Dikembe Mutombo, who won DPOY on a record four occasions (tied with Ben Wallace), is the oldest recipient of the honor when he won the award at age 34 for his defensive play in the 2000-01 NBA season. For LeBron to do better than Mutombo, he will really have to do something extra special this season to add the honor to his resume.