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The King

LeBron James sets another incredible NBA milestone (in another Lakers loss)

January 25, 2023

LeBron James didn’t look happy on Tuesday as the Lakers lost the Battle of Los Angeles to their co-tenants 133-115. Cameras caught James staring into the void on the bench during the 4th quarter, the universal sign for “what the f—k am I doing and why the f—k am I here?” It was not a pretty scene for The King.

The strangest part of all this, however, is that LeBron has been balling out. On Tuesday, he followed up last week’s 48-point performance against the Rockets and Sunday’s 37-point double-double against the Trailblazers with 46/8/7, including a career-high nine threes. In the process, he reached a truly incredible NBA milestone, one that no player in the history of THIS LEAGUE has ever reached.

OK, so this is slightly misleading. The NBA moved to 30 teams in 2004 with the addition of the Charlotte Bobcats, who replaced the Charlotte Hornets (now the New Orleans Pelicans) before becoming the Charlotte Hornets (yes, it’s confusing). Before 2004, no other player had a chance to score 40 or more against all 30 franchises because 30 franchises didn’t exist. LeBron has also moved around enough that he’s had the opportunity to beat up on his former teams, but let’s not get too bogged down in semantics. Point is, it was actually a pretty damn good night for LeBron. He should have been celebrating with tacos and a Chianti vintage. Instead he was questioning the meaning of life while riding the bench in crunch time.

On one hand, that’s a good sign for the Lakers—unlike Aaron Rodgers, LeBron isn't satisfied with personal accolades, he still wants to win championships. On the other, well, it’s obviously bad. The Lakers are third from bottom in the Western Conference, sitting four games below .500. It’s clear LeBron still has some gas in the tank, and they’re wasting it idling in the parking lot. The NBA trade window slams shut in a little over two weeks. Something better change, otherwise LeBron might be taking his talents to the beach.

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