Former NBA champion asserts LeBron James has set a benchmark for an exceptional career in NBA
Fred VanVleet outlined LeBron James’ long-standing domination in the league to be so rare that we may never see another.
James, now in his 20th season, has arguably done it all.
A four-time champion, four-time Finals MVP, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and so much more. The last thing on LeBron’s checklist is to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time points record in a regular season.
The Toronto Raptors point guard and NBA champion began his converstaion by mentioning the ‘real pioneers’ of the game, the ones who had nothing to go off of prior to them and, basically, made the game the way it is.
Fred takes this notion of greatness and applies it to LeBron, stating that James is deploying a type of game that nobody ever has. Among such long-standing dominations, James has pioneered his own category of history in the sport of basketball.
VanVleet explained:
“A guy like LeBron, who, there may never be another 20-year stretch … At that level, like what do you do with that?”
LeBron James’ lowest season average of points-per-game is 20.9, and it was during his first season at 19-years-old.
In his total of 1,367 games played, James has averaged 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. The greatness simply does not dissipate.
And it is important to realize that VanVleet is not attempting to claim LeBron James as an objectively better player than anyone. The point to be made is that there has yet to be a player to have deployed such consistent greatness across a 20-year span.
LeBron James' longevity is definitely something that helps him in the argument for one of the greatest of all-time, but VanVleet is not tackling that notion. He is simply outlining James’ rare longevity.
LeBron James’ dynasty throughout his career
It was October 29, 2003, when LeBron had his league debut with the Cleveland Caveliers. James finished his first NBA game with 25 points, six rebounds, nine assists, and four steals. Needless to say, James dominated from the moment he stepped on the court.
Fast-forward two years later to the 2005-06 season, where a 21-year-old James needed 45 points to surpass Kobe Bryant as the youngest to reach 5,000 points. LeBron played the Utah Jazz and finished with 51 points, five rebounds, and eight assists to pass Bryant.
And then came 2008, when LeBron James was pronounced the youngest to reach 10,000 points and became the Cavaliers' all-time leading scorer.
It then took James only two more years to reach 15,000 points (2010), and three after that for 20,000 (2013). James, of course, went onto break 25,000 (2015), and 30,000 (2018) in the same fashion.
But what broke the bank was LeBron James beating Michael Jordan’s double-digit scoring record in 2018. With a 27-point performance against New Orleans, James would break his 867th consecutive game breaking double-digits in scoring. James now stands at a streak of 1,067 consecutive regular-season games (and counting).
Twenty-eighteen continued to be a big year for The King, as he also surpassed Wilt Chamberlain's record for all-time points.
And that brings us to March 19, 2022 when James surpassed Karl Malone's all-time points record. LeBron now sits with 37,093 points, second only to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387.
The fullness of James’ career is to be respected. As an 18-time All-Star and three-time All-Star MVP, LeBron’s longevity speaks for itself.
The way LeBron jumped into the league full force and never stopped deploying his greatness across all 20 seasons of his career is honorable. Regardless of the LeBron versus Jordan arguments, or the LeBron hate itself, the tenacity from this basketball player is of a rare greatness.