LeBron James' Historic 23rd NBA Season Hyped by Lakers in Video on His 41st Birthday
Birthdays can be a time of reflection as one gets older, and there was plenty of reflecting on LeBron James' impact and overall greatness in the video the Los Angeles Lakers released Tuesday in honor of the King's 41st birthday.
The video celebrated the start of his 23rd NBA season and included comments from head coach JJ Redick, as well as teammates Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton and Maxi Kleber.
It also featured highlights from his debut as a rookie all the way to this season.
"There is no explanation because it's never been done before," Redick said of James continuing to play at such a high level after so many years in the league. "It is uncharted what he's been able to do for as long as he's been able to do it."
His teammates, including Dončić, highlighted what they have learned both on and off the court from being around James.
"To be able to do it for 10-plus years, let alone 20, is incredible. I have no idea how he's doing it," Smart said.
Redick had something of an answer, though, and said, "When you combine his commitment to his routine, his natural ability, his instincts, his IQ, that's the reason that he's been able to do this for so long and is going to go down as the greatest, or one of the greatest, ever."
There is no doubting James' position among the game's all-time greats with a resume that includes four championships, four NBA Finals MVPs, four league MVPs, a Rookie of the Year, a scoring title, 21 All-NBA selections and 21 All-Star Game nods.
He is also the NBA's all-time leading scorer and was still an All-NBA Second Team selection as recently as last season.
Sciatica and other ailments have limited James to just 14 games this season, but the Lakers figure to be among the most dangerous teams in the league come playoff time in large part because of his presence on the floor.
Which means there could be more highlights to add to whatever videos are released for his 42nd birthday.
