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LeBron James was awarded the Record-Breaking Performance Award at the 2023 ESPYs and given the honor to present him was none other than his family. Savannah James introduced her husband in her own complimentary words.
"I think LeBron James is the baddest to ever set foot on a basketball court. Nobody works harder. Nobody cares more. And nobody has done more for the game of basketball than LeBron James," said Savannah.
It was an interesting year for the 38-year-old product of Akron, Ohio, as this was the year he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most number of points scored in the regular season and playoffs in NBA history.
Apart from that, the four-time NBA champion broke Karl Malone's record for all-time minutes played. He also joined the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, which was held in his hometown in Cleveland, Ohio. This was also his 19th NBA All-Star game, in which he is tied with Abdul-Jabbar.
This season was the year that James became the oldest player to reach multiple 50-point games and he was also the first Lakers player since Kobe Bryant in 2008 to do back-to-back 50-point games.
More records were broken as James also became the first player to record 10,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 10,000 assists.
Despite the Los Angeles Lakers losing in the NBA Western Conference Finals to then-champion Denver Nuggets, James had a season to remember and his family presenting him the Record-Breaking Award was the icing on the cake.
LeBron James shuts down retirement talks
At the end of the NBA Western Conference Finals, a disgruntled LeBron James said that he would be considering retirement during the off-season. In his acceptance speech during the ESPYs, the four-time NBA MVP expressed his commitment to the Los Angeles Lakers this coming season.
“I don’t care how many more points I score or what I can and cannot do on the floor. The real question for me is can I play without cheating this game? The day I can’t give the game everything on the floor is the day I’ll be done. Lucky for you guys that day is not today," said James.
In his 19th season in the NBA, James averaged 28.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.5 steals a game.
