After 20 years of taking over the league, it seems father time might have caught on to LeBron James. The King’s efficiency has visibly deteriorated as the Los Angeles Lakers offense continues to tumble. Fans have scrutinized the 37-year-old immensely for his underwhelming start this season. However, there probably isn’t much James can do. Notably, even Lakers icon Kobe Bryant stepped into a similar gear in his 20th and ultimate season.
Highly regarded as the greatest Laker, Kobe Bryant was one of LA’s finest athletes. He spent all his legendary 20 seasons in the purple and gold uniform. His loyalty and sacrifice for the 16-time champions earned him the respect and love of the Laker nation. Responsible for five championship banners present in the arena, Bryant truly upheld the Lakers’ standard. But as great as the Black Mamba was, the extreme wear and tear slowed down even the most hard-working.
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However, compared to James’ recent fall, Lakers fans were enraged. They couldn’t fathom having Bryant and the King in the same conversation.
20th season an Achilles heel for both LeBron James and Kobe Bryant?
Two long decades’ worth of wear and tear might have finally started showing on the Akron Hammer this season. The four-time champion’s emphatic 30 points in the 19th season have fallen to 24. However, his numbers don’t reveal the complete story. Notably, the King is struggling with efficiency shooting merely 44% from the field, his second worst of all time. In addition, LeBron James is making just 21% of his three-pointers, ranking 307th in the league.
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Likewise, the fans of the purple and gold have put him down for his underproduction. But his stats in the 20th season are nearly identical to Kobe Bryant’s. The Black Mamba averaged fewer points putting up 17.6 per game but shot slightly better from 3 at 28.5%.
Don’t bring Kobe into this that’s almost disrespectful
— Black Ghost ♊ (@theinfinitypoet) November 7, 2022
Anybody following this account a dumbie https://t.co/pLl42hT0Jq
— #MambaForever (@LongLiveKobe24) November 7, 2022
Nobody was saying Kobe was a top 10 player either https://t.co/f0tWAA7BHh
— Michigan Wolverines 2023 national champions (@kobedagoat824) November 7, 2022
He came off an Achilles and significant knee injury lol. Please stop it https://t.co/y51B1lPmDv
— Coach TJ (@Runnin4Jesus24) November 7, 2022
Kobe didn’t have two top 75 players in his prime either and wasn’t coming off of Achilles and other various injuries in those years. But alas a fake laker fan page created in 2018 the year akron came. How convenient 😂 https://t.co/zrXHoHqEaC
— Trigga Trey (@hoodieskeenasz) November 7, 2022
Slandering Kobe to make a point about Bron?? B**ch Kobe was coming off like 3 back to back injuries. You not a real Laker page frl https://t.co/x6GBYCz4bn
— LongLiveTheGreat!🖤🇨🇮 (@Lj_upn3xt) November 7, 2022
This tweet lame AF tbh. Quit making excuses https://t.co/byrSNvJrJE
— This IS NOT A PARODY ACCOUNT‼️ (@Lakerloyalist22) November 7, 2022
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However, this comparison of the franchise hero to the King wasn’t taken fell by the Laker nation. Likewise, Twitter became a place of war.
LeBron James has yet to get into any gear for the season. But what many ignore is the four-time champion is dealing with a sickness abstaining him from taking part in practice. In addition, James is reportedly playing through an ankle injury which seems to significantly affect his mobility. Nine games into the season, the Laker offense has looked gruesome.
However, it looks like pieces are slowly falling into place. Russell Westbrook has turned up in his role as a Sixth Man for the purple and gold. Likewise, we can expect LeBron James to bounce into his lethal best soon.
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Do you think the King will assert his position as a top player? Let us know your views in the comments below.