Getty LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Every year, NBA fans await the latest NBA 2K ratings, as they bid to see who the game ranks among the league’s most elite players. And as usual, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, LeBron James, ranks among the best-rated players in the NBA.
In fact, according to the latest 2K ratings, which were released in the build-up to 2K23, LeBron James is currently behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo and tied with Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets), Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), and Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers).
Not bad company to keep, especially when you’re entering your age 38 seasons.
While some could point at 2K simply paying homage to an All-Time NBA great, the fact remains that despite his advancing years, LeBron is unquestionably one of the premier talents in the NBA, and continues to dominate in record-setting fashion. Of course, it does help when your 2K character doesn’t have to deal with the physical toll of an 82-game regular season, but that’s what makes the game so fun!
LeBron Had a Dominant Season
Although the Lakers never made it into the postseason, missing both the playoffs and play-in tournament, LeBron James continued to prove why he’s still one of the best players the NBA has to offer.
.@KingJames messed around and dropped 56 PTS (most as a Laker) against the Warriors last season 👑
In the 56 regular-season games LeBron participated in, he was a dominant force – both as a scorer and playmaker, while also flashing moments of brilliance on the defensive side of the floor. In fact, LeBron ended the season averaging 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game, while shooting 35.9% from deep and 62% from two-point range.
At his age, it’s unfair to expect LeBron to play more than 60 games during the regular season, but should he continue to put up numbers like those, he will be a defining factor in the Lakers’ hopes of returning to the playoffs next season and contending for a championship.
Westbrook to Join LeBron’s Players Only Mini Camp
Throughout the summer, Russell Westbrook has been the subject of intense media speculation – with multiple outlets expecting the superstar guard to be traded before the season gets underway. There have also been murmurs that LeBron has been a driving force in Los Angeles looking to move on from Westbrook, although that was primarily linked to the Lakers’ failed pursuit to land Kyrie Irving.
However, according to a September 5 report by Marc Stein, Westbrook has decided to attend LeBron’s player’s only training camp, giving fresh hope that he will remain in purple and gold for the upcoming season.
Labor Day edition of my around-the-league notes column has just been dispatched worldwide … filled with EuroBasket tales, fresh rumbles on numerous teams (including Sixers/Lakers/Mavs/Knicks/Jazz), coaching goss and much, much more:
“The Lakers’ LeBron James typically hosts a players-only minicamp somewhere on the West Coast before training camp starts, so stay tuned. Word is that another Lakers’ minicamp is likely in the coming days and that Russell Westbrook would indeed attend if it comes together…Any sort of pre-camp gathering involving LeBron and his fellow purple-and-gold vets would represent a key step in the Lakers’ efforts to move past all the tension that bubbled throughout last season’s rocky 33-49 campaign, bringing James and Anthony Davis together with Westbrook and the newly acquired Patrick Beverley before the Lakers report for their first practices under new coach Darvin Ham on Sept. 26,” Stein wrote in his Stein Line Newsletter.
It remains to be seen whether Westbrook will still be on the Lakers roster come opening night, but his decision to attend LeBron’s mini-camp will go some way to dispelling the trade rumors that have followed him throughout the off-season. However, if Westbrook wishes to sit among the league’s elite in terms of 2K ratings, he’s going to have his work cut out for him.