LeBron James is single-handedly willing the Los Angeles Lakers into contention.
Darvin Ham‘s team has been atrocious on defense, so they’ve needed The King to be an offensive juggernaut to keep games close and have a remote chance of getting a win.
Fortunately for them, the 38-year-old superstar continues to turn back the clock and defy Father Time night in and night out, having some of the most impressive performances of his remarkable career just yet.
That happened again on Monday night during their Martin Luther King Jr. Day game vs. the Houston Rockets, as he scored a season-high 48 points to go along with eight rebounds, nine assists, and five three-pointers.
With that performance, LeBron has now joined Michael Jordan as the only two players to have multiple 45+ point games at age 38 or older.
LeBron tonight:
48 PTS (season high)
8 REB
9 AST
5 3PJoins MJ as the only 38+ year old with multiple 45-point games. pic.twitter.com/eYodD6BM01
— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 17, 2023
Of course, Jordan achieved that incredible milestone when he came back from retirement for the second time to play with the Washington Wizards, a stint most of his fans rarely discuss.
That was remarkable, given the pace of the game at the time and the fact that he had walked away from the game for years before that shocking comeback.
In James’ case, however, this could be even more special, as those games are getting him just one inch closer to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s record as the leading scorer in NBA regular-season history.
James is just a handful of points away from topping Kareem’s legendary record, and it seems like it’ll be a very long time before someone comes even close to King James.
NEXT: The Lakers Were Nearly Perfect Monday Night