“He wants to be on top” - Kendrick Perkins says LeBron James wants to win more championships and end the Michael Jordan debate
The GOAT debate is still ongoing, and LeBron James is in search of more championships to help his case against Michael Jordan. In an attempt to win title No. 5, LeBron assembled an experienced team, but it has been difficult for the LA Lakers to build chemistry and put together a run.
But the Lakers, and especially LeBron James, ended 2021 with a bang, recording season-high numbers. They won their game last night against the Portland Trail Blazers 139-106, and LeBron also recorded a season-high 43 points.
It has been a disappointing run for the Lakers so far, but LeBron James has done all he can to ensure they win. In their last ten games, the Lakers have won only four, even with LeBron averaging 32.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and shooting 41.8% from beyond the arc.
On the latest episode of ESPN's First Take, former NBA player Kendrick Perkins was asked which team needs to perform better in the new year, and he believes the Lakers Big 3 need to step up.
"It's hard, but imma have to go with the Lakers. Imma have to go with these Lakers, and this is why. Because when you get a star-studded team like themselves and we talk about all the time, all the Hall of Famers that they have. We know one, LeBron James is still chasing to be on top, and he wanna stack up his resume. His resume is already long, but he wants to continue to grow so that he can shut up those Jordan fans out there," Perkins said.
Perkins went on to say that LeBron James' mentality moving forward is to prove beyond doubt that he is the greatest of all time, and the only way he can do that is by winning more championships. Perkins added:
"When you look at LeBron James, and people thought that he went to Los Angeles to go film movies and do all these things with Space Jam. But, this guy wants to win. He wants to be on top. He don't even want it to be a debate, he don't even want it to be an argument. He want it to be known that, 'hey, I am him.' At the end of the day, people may say he's 37 years old but if you watch how he's playing right now Man, he's playing like, 'Nah, I'm not gonna use that as an excuse.'"
It will take some doing for Michael Jordan fans to consider LeBron James the greatest, especially since he has not achieved a three-peat or a flawless run in the NBA Finals. Nonetheless, LeBron is eager to win another championship and also help teammate and friend Carmelo Anthony win his first championship.
Do the Lakers have a shot at winning the 2022 NBA title?
Given how the Lakers have performed so far, there is little chance they can win four seven-game series to clinch the NBA title. But with LeBron James on the roster, and considering his recent form, the Lakers could be championship contenders, especially if his teammates step up.
What LeBron James has been doing this season has been incredible. For a guy playing in his 19th season, he is putting in unbelievable performances night in night out.
LeBron did all of this ... IN 29 MINUTES WITH 0 TURNOVERS 🤯 https://t.co/5yhRwP43IA
So far this season, LBJ is averaging 28.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 6.6 assists in 25 games. Unfortunately, his displays have not translated to wins as the rest of the team is not performing at his level. Sports analyst Shannon Sharpe believes the days of LeBron making everyone else in the team better are gone.
Regardless of how things have turned out for the Lakers so far, they cannot be written off. A fully healthy Lakers roster could cause serious problems in the league.