LeBron James has broken countless records in his 23-year career.
He is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and is top ten in almost every major category, cementing his status as one of the greats. James has redefined longevity and continues to surprise everybody as he has shown no signs of slowing down. That was until Monday night’s loss against the Phoenix Suns.
LeBron and the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a 17-point loss on Monday. In this game, James scored just 10 points, barely keeping his streak of 10+ points alive.
The last time he scored less than 10 was in 2007, almost two decades ago. Monday night, James had seven points with three minutes left to play, but eventually hit a late-game three-pointer to keep that streak alive.
Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves have certainly stepped up in James’s absence, as he dealt with a sciatica issue to begin this season, but now it truly looks like James is the third option. He finished the game shooting 3-of-10, with three turnovers, three assists, and zero rebounds.
Again, he had only ever had zero rebounds in a game five times before Monday night’s game, another sign of regression.
He was seen laughing with the Suns bench during the fourth quarter as Head Coach JJ Redick was actively calling a play for him, which led to the team taking a crucial timeout.
Although you may argue that he is LeBron James, he can do what he wants when he wants, it doesn’t stop this from being an embarrassing performance. For the past five years, people have expected James to slowly fade into old age and show signs of slowing down; he has done the opposite.
However, Monday night’s game was the first sign of what could be many. Sure, he kept his 18-year streak alive, but if that’s all he is playing for, then what is in store for his future?
Is he going to take the back seat and pass the torch to Luka? Or will he continue to grow frustrated and end up on a new team? Whatever the case may be, James was clearly not himself, but hopefully, he can turn that around as the season goes on.
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