"Gearing up for Prime Time" - LeBron James goes beast mode in training alongside Austin Reaves as he gets ready for year 21
Training camp doesn't officially start for another week, but LeBron James is getting some early work in. The LA Lakers star recently posted on social media to let the world know he is ready for his 21st NBA season. Despite being in the league for two decades now, LeBron James is still one of the top stars in the league.
2023 has been a big year for him, and he's looking to build on that. Along with passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time scoring list, LeBron and the Lakers were four wins away from being back in the finals.
Based on his recent social media activity, LeBron is ready to contend again in 2024. He posted a series of photos on Instagram with the caption "Gearing up for Prime Time year #21." They were mainly photos of himself with one of him and Austin Reaves at the end.
The Lakers have been fully committed to getting work in as early as possible. A few days ago, Anthony Davis and other members of the team were spotted leaving the facility after what looked like a long practice.
LeBron James continues to impress with his longevity
Part of what puts LeBron James in the conversation for greatest basketball player ever is his longevity. No other player in history can say they were this good for this long.
Other guys have made it to their 21st season, but none were putting up numbers similar to LeBron James. Last year, he put up averages of 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists.
The most recent player to make it this far in their career is Dirk Nowitzki. In his 21st season, he averaged 7.3 points and 3.1 rebounds at the age of 40. Kevin Garnett also hung around this long, but only averaged 3.2 points in his final season.
So far, only one player in NBA history has managed to play for 22 seasons. That being Vince Carter. His final year came in 2020 as a member of the Atlanta Hawks. In that season, Carter averaged 5.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
All these players were stars at one point in their career, but Father Time managed to catch up to them. Everyone has been waiting to see the same from LeBron, but it hasn't happened. In year 21, he is seen as a top guy on a team with the potential to win the title.
This type of longevity has never been seen before, and is one of the many things that separates LeBron from the rest of the all-time greats.