Earlier in the offseason, there were some reports that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was contemplating retirement. He had just seen one of his close friends, Carmelo Anthony, call it an NBA career and his Lakers were swept in the Western Conference Finals by the eventual champion Denver Nuggets.
There were probably a lot of raw emotions after another marathon season had just come to an end, which led to those reports. However, LeBron James is not ready to call it quits yet, as he will be returning for season 21 in the NBA and his sixth with the Lakers.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer will look to put even more distance between him and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, whom he passed this season on February 7th in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. That record is one of many that LeBron James owns throughout his career as one of the most decorated players who ever step foot on a basketball court.
While there is certainly a debate about who the best player in NBA history is, there is no debate that LeBron James is amongst the best to ever do it. His blend of size and athleticism is one that would have led to success in any era as he could do it all on the court.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: LeBron James & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Need him to carry the load offensively and score 40 points? He could do that on any given night. His best asset, however, was his playmaking and ability to elevate the level of his teammates around him. While some analysts would say he was afraid of the spotlight, it was a matter of LeBron James making the right play and having trust in his teammates.
While he may not have as pristine of an NBA Finals record as some of his peers or as many rings, James has accomplished things that no other player will get close to achieving. One of those is the statistics he has averaged in his career.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: LeBron James & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
LeBron James averages 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in his career, oddly enough a stat line he has never recorded in a game. But, most impressive about that is he has averaged 25/5/5 19 times in his career.
How impressive of a feat is that? Oscar Robertson is second on that list and he has achieved it only nine times. The only season in which LeBron James failed to reach those plateaus was as a rookie when he averaged only 20.9 points per game to go along with 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists.
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