.jpg?h=920929c4&itok=kqVxDre6&ssl=1 "How LeBron James’ legacy is affected by in-season tournament win and MVP with Lakers | Sports New Spain")
How do you earn it? In-season tournaments and MVP with the Lakers in his heritage Lebron James? On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that question has become an answer often used jokingly in NBA-related posts that, more often than not, belong to the superstar. Now that LeBron has won it all in the Tournament, it’s a good time to ask once again.
With theirs 4 MVPs of the regular season and the finals, as well as 4 championship ringsDid winning the Tournament help increase your legacy? He may not have added anything substantial, but winning is certainly no small thing.
“We wrote history”, LeBron said moments after Los Angeles’ win over Indiana. “We’ve made history. When you’re on the right side of history, you accept it. The first in-season tournament belongs to the Lakers. And that will never be equal.”
LeBron James is NBA historypic.twitter.com/mQ4SMK9N2d
— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐍𝐰𝐰𝐬 Spain 🇪🇸 (@sportingnewses) December 10, 2023
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While the Tournament has been viewed as an overwhelming success, the Lakers’ victory has been received in different ways. Did you celebrate too much for such a title? Does it realistically move the needle in a ring-dominated culture? Was your road to get there still difficult?
Regardless of where you stand on the questions above, there’s something to be said for the fact that the Lakers were the first team to do so and that James led the way in his 21st season.
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A reminder of LeBron James’ unprecedented longevity
At this point, LeBron James is used to defying time and time again. In his 21st season he’s still playing at an All-NBA level, and even if he can’t live up to what he saw in his years as MVPnow on the Lakers, what he’s doing now is unprecedented.
The structure of the Tournament could not be more suitable for the star to show how special he is, even at this stage.
In such a short span of seven games, James took his game to another level, averaging 26.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.6 assists while throwing 56.8% on field goals and 60.6% on 3-pointers. Each game felt like a Playoff series in itself.
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especially In the playoffs, LeBron was even better, averaging 28.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.7 assists in three games where all he deserved was a win. James’ nightly performances are a reminder that even though he’s just days away from turning 39, the list of players who can do it is very short.
Depending on who you ask, there may be no disagreement.
As much as LeBron would like to add another NBA title to his resume, the star, more than anyone, knows how difficult it is to reach that pinnacle. For the flawed but capable Lakers as they are built, winning something like this is a sign of success for this season and could even give them the boost they need to show up at the next level.
Sure, James and this Lakers team will trade that title for the Larry O’Brien Trophy without hesitation, but they won’t apologize for being crowned In-Season Tournament champions, especially if there’s still a second championship to be had.
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Winning first always means more
The reason players and teams compete is to be the last team standing in June. Whatever changes are made in the future, this maxim will prevail.
The In-Season Tournament achieved its goal of generating more interest during the early stages of the season by implementing a prize money to add a little more incentive to players who were already motivated by its competitive nature.
In short, based on its massive success, the NBA Tournament is here to stay.
In 10, 15 or even 20 years, when the In-Season Tournament and the tournament run are something to look forward to, people will be looking back at the record books to see who was first. And that’s where LeBron’s Lakers will appear.
Records will be broken and the cup will go to many franchises, but the one record that will stand the test of time will be that The Lakers got there first and James, at 38, took home the MVP.
As for what all of this means for his legacy, LeBron didn’t need the in-season tournament or the MVP to ascend into the pantheon of all-time greats.
As the prestige of the NBA Cup grows, so will what has been accomplished in the In-Season Tournament.
