It’s almost hard to believe, but basketball superstar LeBron James has wrapped up his 21st regular season in the NBA.
The 39-year-old has spent more time playing on an NBA court than any player in history, but he still somehow manages to continue to be one of the best players in the league. All those miles on James’ tires, in combination with his age, have raised doubts about his athletic prowess.
But, the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA Play-In game against the Zion Williamson-led New Orleans on April 16 was an opportunity for James to let any doubters know that he can still hang with the younger players and take a hard offensive foul from time to time.
James scored 23 points over 41 minutes and blocked two shots. Meanwhile, the 23-year-old Williamson strongly rejected one of James’ shot attempts in the second quarter.
Williamson’s aggressive approach continued in the third quarter as he dribbled up the court and into the lane, charging hard at James. The Lakers star did not let his age stop him from taking on the contact from Williamson as he drew the charge. James appeared to take the worst of the collision and was shaken up after the referees blew the whistle. Williamson was charged with an offensive foul.
The play sparked a string of reactions, with the X account, NBA Memes, jokingly saying “LeBron, my sunshine, you’re 48. Pls don’t draw a charge on Zion again.”
Another account replied to the post saying, “He was testing his dad strength.”
Three-time Super Bowl champion, ESPN commentator, and popular podcast host Shannon Sharpe weighed in on the debate surrounding James’ greatness.
“Yesterday LeBron James reminded me of my grandmother. … Your GOAT could never,” Sharpe said on the April 15 edition of “First Take,” as reaffirmed his belief that James is the greatest player of all time. James closed out his 21st NBA regular season on April 14 by recording a triple-double against the Pelicans.
Zion Williamson scored 40 points in the Pelicans’ play-in tournament loss to the Lakers. But, late in the fourth quarter of the hard-fought game, the high-flying NBA star threw a towel near the New Orleans bench out of frustration. He eventually walked back into the tunnel, signaling the end of what had been one the best performances of his professional basketball career. The Pelicans later said Williamson suffered a left hamstring injury and will miss Friday’s game.
James, who is one of the most decorated players in the modern era of basketball, game Williamson flowers after the game, calling him a “generational talent.”
“He’s gonna be great for a long time,” he told reporters. “Obviously, he had a slow start to the season this year, but he’s a generational talent. He’s going to continue to get better, and tonight was just a small microcosm of how great he can be. His ability to get downhill, finish vs. smalls, finish vs. bigs—taller guys, shorter guys, it doesn’t matter—and one thing about him is that he’s not afraid to compete. That’s a great thing. He’s a star.”
The Pelicans were in the midst of a furious comeback when Williamson exited. Despite the game being tied at 95 when Williamson left, the Pelicans struggled without their most dynamic player and ultimately had to settle for a four-point loss.
Williamson has constantly battled through injuries throughout his career. Injury setbacks limited him to just 29 games during the 2022-23 regular season. He was on the basketball court for 61 games over the course of the 2020-21 campaign, earning NBA All-Star honors along the way. But, this most recent season marked Williamson’s healthiest season to date, as he appeared in a career-high 70 contests.
But, a series of off-court issues last summer also overshadowed the start of start of this season for Williamson.
Adult film star Moriah Mills previously alleged that she had a “secret” romantic relationship with Williamson. But, in June 2023 a YouTube video surfaced, feauturing Williamson’s girlfriend Ahkeema, who was pregnant at the time.
“My baby, you’re going to see this at some point. I don’t know what the future holds, but mommy and daddy love you,” Williamson said in the gender reveal video. “If you don’t know nothin’ else in this world, know that mommy and daddy love you for life.”
The couple welcomed a baby girl in November 2023. The pregnancy announcement did not seem to sit well with Mills, who launched a series of social media posts filled with several accusations and personal attacks. Mills’ criticism of Williamson continued shortly after the Pelicans 110-106 loss to the Lakers in the play-in tournament game.
“They don’t play about me, like, that’s all I’m gonna say,” Mills said in the video she posted on TikTok. “Honestly, you’ll never beat the GOAT. You’re not the GOAT. You’re not LeBron James. You’ll never beat LeBron James. Goodnight.”
The Pelicans still can secure the Western Conference’s eight and final playoffs slot if they can defeat the Sacramento Kings without Williamson on April 19.
