Getty LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
On Friday, December 2, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 133-129.
While the Lakers’ victory was certainly impressive, the night was special for a different reason, as LeBron James celebrated moving to sixth on the NBA’s All-Time assists chart, surpassing Lakers legend Magic Johnson in the process.
On December 3, Johnson took to Twitter to send LeBron a congratulatory message, noting how the veteran superstar is one of the true All-Time greats of the NBA.
Congratulations to one of the best ever to lace them up, LeBron James, for passing me to become 6th all-time on the NBA’s career assists list!! The affect you’ve had on basketball will last for generations to come!
LeBron Heaps Praise on Magic Johnson
Following the Lakers’ victory over Milwaukee, LeBron discussed Magic’s career and his impact on the Los Angeles fan base during a sideline interview, noting that he was honored to surpass a legend while wearing the same uniform that he once did.
“It’s even more of a humbling feeling when you’re actually wearing the same uniform that a guy wore. You know, Magic has been everything to this franchise from the moment he was drafted, and it’s an honor for me to try and carry on his legacy while I play this game,” LeBron said.
Even at age 37, LeBron is putting up some stellar numbers for the Lakers and is currently averaging 25.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game while shooting 33.3% from deep and 53.5% from two-point range.
LeBron Hints at Potential Role Change
When you look at the current dominance of Anthony Davis and how he’s leading the Lakers with some exceptional play on both sides of the floor, it’s clear that he’s the future of the franchise. As such, it would make sense for LeBron to step back into a secondary role on offense, which would allow him to be more of a facilitator than a number-one scoring option.
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“We won a championship together. I think this is, what, year four for us? I think, Maybe? I don’t need to have a talk with AD about if I come back you need to defer. No. AD be AD, and we’ll figure it out around him. I’ll figure it out, I’m ok with that, and I can do that. But, we’re gonna keep the ball in AD’s hands, and when he’s rebounding like he did tonight, he’s blocking shots, super engaged. It’s our job as a lot of the ball handlers, mine, Dias, Austin, Russ, to get him the ball, and we did that tonight,” LeBron said.
If LeBron does take a step back, that could allow him to continue climbing the All-Time assists rankings, as he would likely continue to be a primary ball-handler but would assume the role of distributor, allowing him to setup Davis around the rim. Furthermore, if LeBron can save some wear and tear on his aging body by allowing Davis to shoulder the offensive load, that could help ensure he remains fresh and healthy for when the post-season begins in 2023 – and a healthy LeBron, no matter what age, is a scary prospect.