The King Looking For More

LBJ has had his share of haters. People thinking he could not win a championship. People thinking he could only win championships if he were paired with other superstars. People thinking he could not win championships, even when he was paired with superstars. People thinking he was too old to win championships. But, through it all, LeBron James has won four titles, with his most recent last year with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Still, The King is not done yet. Years ago, LeBron said he was chasing the ghosts of Michael Jordan striving to win six NBA titles. With two more to tie the legend, LeBron is not getting any younger. But, for the 2020-2021 season, LeBron may have his best team on paper since his days with the Miami Heat. With new additions like Marc Gasol, Dennis Schroder, and Montrezl Harrell, the Lakers look scary good. Five and six might come quicker than we all think.

But, there will be stiff competition. The Bucks look like they are better. The Brooklyn Nets have Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving playing together, and the Utah Jazz are hungry for playoff success. The road to a championship might be the toughest to date, and MJ’s Bulls can never say they had tougher competition.

Matching MJ’s record still might not propel LeBron ahead of the G.O.A.T., but the conversation will be fiercer than ever. Currently, pundits have to go Michael Jordan (1), Kobe Bryant (2), and Magic Johnson (3). LeBron is top-5 now, but with a few more good seasons, #1 might be in grasp.