The King's Will
By: Peyton Schultze
LeBron James not only had his best night in a Laker uniform, but passed Laker legend, Wilt Chamberlain, for 5th on the NBA’s all time scoring list.
Before the Lakers’ third early season matchup of the season with the Portland Trail Blazers, LeBron James sits patiently on the Laker bench, unknowing of what he is about to accomplish that night. Or maybe he is. After all, King James has always had a knack for understanding the moment, appreciating the history of the game, and leading his team each and every night. However, James waits to prepare for Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, two players the Lakers have had trouble with in recent history until just 11 days ago, until the moment arrives and he is ready to go. However, that upcoming moment becomes stalled quickly. Arnold Schwarzenegger, gains the attention of The King and James gladly goes over to greet a man known for portraying The Terminator and representing the state of California as its governor. And so goes the life of LeBron James in his new hometown of Los Angeles. Stars sit courtside and everything single thing that LeBron will do will be put under a microscope, from greeting celebrities pregame to celebrating a win with his teammates postgame. As he’s addressed so many times though, it’s not like this pressure is anything new:
An alien. A freak. A Terminator. Call LeBron James what you will and he will still leave you speechless more times than not. On a night where it seemed that the Laker brand returned to its former glory, with its flashy basketball, rocking crowd, and courtside stars, there was no brighter star than that of Number 23. 44 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, and highlight after highlight by James led the Lakers to a 126-117 win over Portland in a marquee win for the young Lakers. Unlike any performance James has had with the Lakers so far, James came out with vengeance and on a mission to win. However, this win for the Lakers and James didn’t just come without any other drama. While also moving into 7th place in the Western Conference standings, LeBron also passed former Laker great, Wilt Chamberlain, on the NBA’s all time scoring list and recognized the significance of passing one of the game’s all time greats:
“Just dominated in all walks of life. Not only basketball, but life period. ”
While the night provided an opportunity to praise James for another example of his dominance, it provided another opportunity to recognize and remember one of the game’s all time greats in Wilt Chamberlain.
James is right. Wilt did dominate many parts of life, from his swaggering pregame and postgame outfits that would set a trend for years to come, to owning the basketball court on a nightly basis along with Jerry West and Gail Goodrich, to even appearing in Conan the Destroyer. But then again, so has James. He’s won three NBA championships with players like Dwyane Wade and Kyrie Irving. He built his own school this year in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. And yes, even he hit up Hollywood in Trainwreck. And so, this gives us another night to simply recognize the greatness of the NBA. Many people have compared James to other legendary players throughout his career, from Michael Jordan to Magic Johnson to even Chamberlain. But maybe the ultimate greatness of James isn’t that he might be all of these players combined, but that he is his own player and his own man. He doesn’t try to be anyone else and is comfortable in who he is and the choices he makes, on and off the court.
James with a hard finish to the basket over Blazers forward, Evan Turner.
The uniqueness and pride, in addition to the flair, is what has made up this Lakers organization dating back to the 1950’s. This is who the Lakers have been throughout their basketball history and who they are slowly starting to become again, led by James. In a night filled with nods to the Lakers’ past, from the brand new jerseys paying homage to Magic Johnson to the recognition of the greatness of Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron’s vintage performance fit right in with that of former Laker greats. This 2018-2019 Laker season has already been filled with drama and excitement with each passing game, nothing new for one of the all time great players. Wednesday night may have been a glimpse of the rest of the Laker season, a show run and dominated by James. Yet, all Laker fans, and even James himself, know that it will take the help of the Lakers young core to ease the burden off of James to compete for a championship. James recognizes this challenge that lies ahead and how difficult this road might be for him. However, if James wants to lead Los Angeles back to the promised land to join the ranks of Laker greats like Johnson, Chamberlain, Bryant, and O’Neal, it will take the king’s will to reach the peak of greatness, and there is little doubt he will be up for the task.