Getty LeBron James destroys the Spurs with 42-point outburst
Los Angeles Lakers All Star, LeBron James has won three NBA championships, been awarded the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award four times, won two Olympic gold medals and appeared in fifteen NBA All-Star Games.
But apparently the King of Akron, Ohio is missing one important piece in his arsenal: a go-to move.
“The guys played in the NBA and he’s the fourth best scorer,” two-time NBA Champion and TNT analyst, Kenny Smith tells me.
“What’s his signature go-to move?”
“Kareem is the skyhook, Michael Jordan with the fadeaway. You’ve got Hakeem Olajuwon with the Dream Shake, you’ve got Kobe Bryant. Everybody has a move that they say: ‘well damn, that’s Kobe.’”
That’s mind-blowing if you think about it!
This summer, James will be working on his game as the Los Angeles Lakers will not appear in the NBA Playoofs this season.
“I like being uncomfortable in the offseason,” LeBron James told The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. “I like being counted out. It motivates me.
“I’ve had basically the same offseason training regimen the last eight years,” LeBron added. “I knew how long I wanted to rest for the season on a short timeline. I’m figuring out now how to get as much as I can out of two months of extra time for training. It requires a totally different strategy. We’re looking at it in an entirely new way.”
Worth noting: James was solid statistically this season. In his 16th season in the NBA, James averaged 27.4 points, 8.3 assists and 8.5 rebounds in his first year with the Los Angeles Lakers.
A groin injury on Christmas against the Golden State Warriors changed the trajectory of he and the Lakers’ season.
Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James injury is more complex than what has been initially reported, I’m told.
Per Lakers source: “LeBron could ‘rush back’ and return at the end of January. But he could very well be out until the end of February, or even longer.”
Smith has always been one of James’ biggest supporters and has also critiqued James when he saw fit.
Smith shared that James asked him in 2009 what he and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ chances were for the 2009-2010 NBA season.
Smith told him: “You’re the best player in the world, you have a movie made about your life and you have holes in your game.”
“It’s hard to believe that the best player in the world has holes in his game,” said Smith.
“But, the best players in the world could have holes in their game. As long as he didn’t sleep in silk robes and be content, he’s going to get better at it. But if he believed he was the best player in the world, some guys believe that they’re the best and they don’t continue to work!”
As for LeBron James and his go-to move, he’ll have time to work on it. In between being on set and taping Space Jam 2, he’ll be in the lab and getting busy.
LeBron James’ Space Jam 2 is still going on as scheduled, I’m told this afternoon.
“I would say LeBron’s best attribute isn’t scoring,” Kenny Smith tells me.
“It had become that. But a guy that is the fourth best scorer in the NBA what is his go-to move. What is LeBron’s? I don’t know. That’s actually a testament to say that this guy has a little bit of everything and that he’s the fourth best at something. It’s amazing that he has doesn’t have one move. That’s sick! What would be his emblem?”
MJ has the Jumpman, Shaq had the Dunkman. What about LBJ?