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LeBron James is arguably one of the greatest players to have graced the NBA. Recently, the 35-year-old signed a contract extension with the LA Lakers, one that will keep him at the franchise till the end of the 2022-23 NBA season.
The King signed a two-year, $45 million maximum extension, which means that he could be in LA for years to come.
Five milestones LeBron James could achieve with the LA Lakers after his $85M max extension
In their quest to repeat as NBA champions, the LA Lakers had a great off-season. The historic franchise added key pieces to their bench and built on the depth of their roster.
Anthony Davis is yet to sign with the team, but he is more than likely to remain at LA, especially with LeBron James committing to the franchise in the long term.
Last season, LeBron James averaged 25.3 points and a league-leading 10.2 assists per game in his 17th season in the NBA. At 35, LeBron James is arguably the best player in the NBA and is likely to remain so in the next few years too.
With the player set to stay at the LA Lakers for three more seasons, there are a bevy of achievements LeBron James could achieve in the NBA. In this article, we will list five such achievements the player could achieve before his stint with the LA Lakers ends in 2023.
Without further ado, let us start.
#5 Six career rings
His stay at LA Lakers and potentially helping the franchise continue its winning run could help LeBron James better his legendary resume in the NBA.
The King took the LA Lakers to their 17th NBA championship last season. It was LeBron James' fourth NBA triumph with a record third different franchise.
If the LA Lakers and LeBron James continue their dominance in the upcoming seasons, LeBron James could emulate or even surpass Michael Jordan's record of six NBA championships.
LeBron James and Michael Jordan are arguably the two most frequently mentioned names in the GOAT debate. If James gets to six NBA championships, the debate could start to tilt in his favor.
#4 Record for most points scored
LeBron James has scored 34,241 points in 1,265 NBA games in his 17-year career. Currently, he sits in third place in the all-time list of points scored, behind Karl Malone (36,928) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387).
He may be 35, but there are no signs of James slowing down yet. He averages more than 2,000 points per year in his career.
Of course, last year was a shortened one, and the upcoming NBA season will be shorter than usual too (72 regular-season games). Nevertheless, LeBron James could become the all-time points leader in NBA history by the time he ends his current contract with the LA Lakers in 2023.
Abdul-Jabbar has been the NBA all-time leader in points since April 5th, 1984 after he surpassed Wilt Chamberlain's tally of 31,419 points.
#3 Emulate Michael Jordan's tally of NBA MVP awards
LeBron James has won four NBA Most Valuable Player awards during his illustrious career. He has won the coveted award twice apiece with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat.
Last year, he finished behind Giannis Antetokounmpo in the NBA voting after being favored by most to win the award.
Another MVP award will see The King emulate Michael Jordan's tally of five and move him to within one of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record of most MVP awards.
Matching Jordan's tally would be a huge deal for LeBron James. However, there might be more awards that have even more impact than the regular-season MVP.
#2 Emulate Michael Jordan's tally of NBA Finals MVPs
LeBron James currently sits second in NBA history in terms of most Finals MVP trophies won (four).
Of course, winning four with three different teams is an unparalleled achievement that only LeBron James can brag about. However, he is two shy of Michael Jordan's tally of six, something LeBron James would love to emulate.
James was named the Finals MVP in each of the NBA championships he has won. He has won the award twice with the Miami Heat (2012 and 2013) and once apiece with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2016) and the reigning NBA champions LA Lakers (2020).
#1 First-ever NBA three-peat in his career
Almost every achievement in LeBron James' career, regardless of how small it could be, is a new record in the competition.
If he achieves most of the things mentioned in this piece, the GOAT debate could end straight away. However, beyond the individual achievements, LeBron James would probably like this one even more.
Staying with the LA Lakers in the long term is a huge deal for James, but it has not come as a surprise. After winning the title in 2020, the Lakers could be itching for more.
With Anthony Davis likely to stay with the team in the long haul, more silverware could come the way of the LA Lakers, who are the favorites for the 2021 championship.
If that happens, it would be the second time that LeBron James would have which guided a team to back-to-back NBA championships (also Miami - 2012 and 2013).
Considering the LA Lakers' recent dominance and the presence of the young superstar Anthony Davis and the iconic LeBron James, a three-peat is well within the realms of possibility for the historic franchise.
Such an achievement would be huge for the legacy of LeBron James, as it would be the first time in the NBA that a team would win three consecutive championships since the Shaq-Kobe LA Lakers at the start of the century (2000-2002).
