(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is heading into his 21st season in the NBA, with head coach Darvin Ham claiming that the soon-to-be 39-year-old is looking as good as he did during the first few years of his career in the league.
That’s a bold statement, especially after only a few days of training camp, where teams tend not to go all-out on the basketball floor, particularly older players like James.
However, Ham sticks by his statement, and some of the footage that has come out of training camp has shown how young and motivated he appears.
With a statement like Ham made, the talk shows were predictably going to go wild, especially when it comes to James superfan Nick Wright, who believes only two players in the league right now are better than the four-time NBA champion.
Wright claims that only defending NBA champion Nikola Jokic and two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo are better than James when he’s healthy via First Things First.
“Year 3 and 4 LeBron vs. Year 19 and 20 LeBron — they’re the same picture. … There are only 2 guys in the league right now that when LeBron is healthy are hands down better than him — Jokić & Giannis.”
— @getnickwright pic.twitter.com/z7e0tkI136
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) October 5, 2023
There’s no question that James has been able to endure the rigors of an 82-game season in the NBA, arguably better than anyone else in the history of the game, as he heads into his third decade in the league.
However, saying he’s the third-best player in the league right now is a bit of a stretch, considering how many talented players there are in the league right now that are hitting their prime.
A case could be made that he’s not even the best player on his team right now when healthy due to Anthony Davis’ presence and his ability to be one of the best two-way players in the game, which James no longer is at this point.
Regardless of the debate, James is doing remarkable things and may have more in store this season with the Lakers as he strives for a fifth ring and the franchise’s 18th.
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