Account
Draymond Green on Lakers' LeBron James: 'Never Been a Better Face of the NBA'
January 6, 2023
Draymond Green had high praise for LeBron James after the Los Angeles Lakers star went off for 47 points on his 38th birthday Dec. 30 against the Atlanta Hawks.
Speaking on his podcast The Draymond Green Show, Green said there has "never been a better face of the NBA" than James.
Green also said James' high level of play 20 years into his career "has to count for something" in the debate about the greatest player of all time.
James has been the biggest star in the NBA essentially since the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him No. 1 overall in 2003. He has made the All-Star team in each of the past 18 seasons and leads the fan voting for this year's game.
Since Anthony Davis went down with a foot injury Dec. 16, James has taken his game to another level as he attempts to keep the Lakers afloat in the Western Conference. He is averaging 35.1 points, 7.4 assists and 7.3 rebounds over his last eight games.
James finished one assist shy of recording a triple-double on his birthday. The four-time MVP went 18-of-27 from the field (4-of-6 from three) with 10 rebounds and nine assists in a 130-121 victory over the Hawks.
He followed up that performance with 43 points, 11 rebounds and six assists against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.
The Lakers are still trying to get into playoff contention. Their 17-21 record ranks 12th in the Western Conference, but they are only 1.5 games behind the Utah Jazz for the final spot in the play-in tournament.