LeBron James defies age with another 50-point game
LeBron James continues to make a mockery of middle age.
In his 19th NBA season, James hardly looks a step slower than the sprightly high school superstar out of Akron, and he proved he's just as dominant Friday with 50 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 121-109 victory over the Wizards.
Against the same team Michael Jordan limply retired with at age 38 — Jordan shot 40% in two playoff-free seasons with Washington — LeBron could hardly miss, dissecting the D.C. defense from every spot on the floor.
LeBron converted at a 72% clip Friday, displaying his usual dominance around the rim while also knocking down eight 3s and quelling free-throw concerns with an 8-for-8 mark from the stripe. Unbelievably, he failed to one-up his performance from last Saturday, a 56-point outing in a shootout victory over Golden State.
"He’s really good at basketball, that LeBron James," coach Frank Vogel said. "Just an incredible, unbelievable, epic performance. When he gets on a tear, try to leave him in as long as possible and make sure he has enough gas in the tank to finish."
Out of the numerous superlatives Vogel used to describe LeBron's performance Friday, he highlighted one: historic.
"The league has never seen a player at this stage of his career do what he's doing," Vogel said. "That needs to be recognized, it's unbelievable."
Vogel appears to be right — James isn't just beating his fellow GOAT contenders at this stage of his career, he's lapping them.
No NBA player had ever recorded multiple 50-point performances after the age of 35 before this past week, when James accomplished the feat in twice. This week's performances also saw LeBron wrestle back control of the scoring lead with an average of 29.7 points per game, placing him on a higher plateau than even the game's greatest players late in his career.
All-time greats like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Wilt Chamberlain never sniffed a 19th season, and fellow Lakers legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant each averaged fewer than 18 points in Year 19, excluding Bryant's six-game 2013-14 season.
LeBron also drew praise from the league's brightest stars after Friday's game, with Trae Young, C.J. McCollum and Ja Morant tweeting about James' 50-piece and highlighting his efficiency.
James' torrid shooting run has been vital for an aging Lakers squad burdened with injury woes and poor performances. Fellow star forward Anthony Davis has been saddled to the treatment bed for much of the 2021-22 season and veterans Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony have struggled on both ends, placing the brunt of Laker Nation's lofty expectations on LeBron's shoulders.
The Lakers have won just two games since the All-Star break, both requiring 50-point performances from LeBron. Even in L.A.'s losing efforts, James is doing everything he can to keep his team competitive, scoring more than 25 points in each of the last six games.
Time conquers all, but LeBron is putting up the best fight in NBA history.