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The NBA announced the three All-NBA teams last night. Shannon Sharpe, despite being thrilled that LeBron James made the third team, believes he should have been higher.
LeBron was named to the third team alongside Trae Young, Pascal Siakam, Karl-Anthony Towns and long-time friend Chris Paul.
The LA Lakers not making the playoffs might have played a role in the outcome of the selection, regardless of LeBron's exceptional season. Injuries marred his chances of winning the scoring title, which could have been a record-setting endeavor. He would have been the oldest player to do so.
Speaking on the announcement, Shannon believes LeBron should have taken Kevin Durant's spot on the second team. On "Undisputed: Skip and Shannon," he said:
"I do believe he should have been higher. I don't believe he should have been first-team All-NBA. I'm very content with the guys that made first-team All-NBA.
"Giannis, a unanimous selection, Jayson Tatum, I'm good with that. And really, the only problem that I have with any of it, is that I thought LeBron and KD should flip spots. That's it.
"I thought Kevin Durant should have been third-team, LeBron should have been second-team. There's only one game difference in the play, LeBron played 56, Kevin Durant played 55.
"And if you look at the numbers, LeBron was 30/8/6 on 52% shooting, Kevin Durant was 30/7/6 on 50% shooting. KD shot 38% from the three, LeBron shot 36%."
Shannon dissected their scoring. He pointed out that LeBron has often had a higher field-goal percentage than KD, even though Durant is more efficient from beyond the arc. After analyzing their field-goal percentages, he said:
"It is a huge honor that LeBron James has been in the league 19 years, and he's been an All-NBA player for 18 of those years. Let that sink in for just a second. I don't think people get a true understanding or a grasp of how long LeBron James has been great."
Making the All-NBA team is a great feat, as it practically suggests those are the best 15 offensive players of the season.
LeBron James has been dominant since his rookie season
LeBron James won the Rookie of the Year award in 2004 and also made the All-Rookie team. Since then, he has been a regular on the All-NBA teams, making 13 first teams, three second teams and two third-team selections.
To perform at such a high level throughout his career is remarkable. He is on his way to becoming the all-time scoring leader, just 1,325 points behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
If he plays nearly as well as he did in his 2021-22 campaign, there is a chance he will surpass Kareem before the end of the 2022-23 season. Even if that doesn't happen next season, LeBron becoming the all-time leading scorer seems inevitable.
LeBron has continued to work out and stay fit ahead of the new season. He has promised himself not to miss the playoffs, which means we might experience another outstanding run in his 20th year.
Guess the Lakers players!
