When LeBron James entered the NBA in 2003, people had tremendous expectations for him, the likes of which perhaps no rookie, save for perhaps Shaquille O’Neal or Kobe Bryant, ever had to deal with.
Some 20 years later, he has put together an incredible body of work, which includes four NBA championships, four regular season MVPs, a scoring title and more career points than anyone else in league history.
On Thursday, he was named a starter for this season’s All-Star game, which gave him another accomplishment: a record 20 All-Star selections.
When asked about it following the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Chicago Bulls, James said he has outdone the expectations that were there for him.
LeBron James on being named an All-Star starter for a record-setting 20th straight time: “I’ve exceeded anything … that I ever dreamed about that I would be in the NBA” pic.twitter.com/1c76yWUkZ1
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 26, 2024
“I’ve exceeded expectations in my career. So it’s just humbling, it’s very cool to be able to continue to have accomplishments throughout your career,” James said. “But I’ve exceeded anything further than what I ever dreamed about that I will be in the NBA. I did that a long time ago. So everything else is kind of just extra credit. I’m very, very humbled by still been able to play the game that I love and have these accomplishments along the way.”
Even at the age of 39, the Akron, Ohio, native is averaging 24.8 points, 7.5 assists and 7.1 rebounds a game and is shooting 52% from the field and 39.7% from 3-point range this season. One has to wonder how much longer he will continue to play at this level and how many more All-Star appearances he will add before his career is over.