Reigning in LA: The King's Final Storm

By Hayes Muse

LeBron Raymone James’ last five years have been full of ups and downs.

From winning a championship, to career changing injuries, to having your

best friend be traded, LeBron has gone through some of the most

challenging challenges that any athlete has ever gone through – all within

the last 5 years.

LeBron’s 2020 Season

LeBron James, even at the age of 35, put up wild stats and contributed

greatly to his championship winning team. He averaged 25.3 points, 10.2

assists, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game in 67 games. James,

however, finished 2 nd in MVP voting that year, losing to Giannis who had 85

votes compared to James’s 16. This season is widely considered to be one of LeBron’s greatest seasons because this is where he solidified himself to be an outstanding playmaker while being an outstanding scorer even with Anthony Davis being the first option offensively and defensively.

Across the entire playoffs, LeBron averaged nearly a triple-double with 27.6

PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 8.8 APG. He shot 56.0% from the field and 37.7%

from the three-point line. This series highlighted LeBron’s efficiency,

effectiveness, all-around talent, and ability to take over a game. His Lakers

ended up beating the Miami Heat in 6 games in the Finals. This was the

final task for LeBron to accomplish for us to have the ability to say that this

was truly one of LeBron’s best seasons.

2020-21 Injuries & Playoff Exit

As I mentioned before, expectations were high for this season. The Lakers

had just won the championship and found ways to improve the roster. LA

was 28-17 over the first 45 games. Even with Anthony Davis getting hurt on

the 28 th game of the season, LeBron still found a way to put the team on his

back. After AD got hurt and until March 20 th , he averaged 27.2 pts, 8.8

assists, and 8.1 rebounds per game. Then on March 20 th in a game against

the Atlanta Hawks, Solomon Hill dove for a loose ball and he collided with

LeBron’s leg. This would be a major turning point for LeBron, causing him

to play a less athletic brand of basketball. The Lakers finished the season

with a record of 42-30, clinching a spot in the play-in. LA faced off against

the Golden State Warriors and beat them due to a clutch three-pointer by

LeBron. But, when the Lakers entered the playoffs, they lost the first series

4-2 to the Phoenix Suns. To cap off the season, James averaged 25.0

points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 36.5% beyond the arc, and 51.3% from

the field.

21-22 Season

During the offseason before this season, the Lakers decided to “blow up”

the roster. This was due to injuries and on-court performance. The roster

had a whole new look. Certainly, weaker than the previous year. The roster

lacked chemistry and could not seem to gel together and play a great brand

of basketball. But in this environment is where you would see LeBron play

some of his best basketball that we’ve seen in years. Even with a 28–29-

year-old Anthony Davis, James proceeded to lead the pack by averaging

30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.

Unfortunately, he only played 56 games due to a left ankle sprain (the

lingering injury from the previous season.). Unfortunately, LA finished the

season with a losing record of 33-49 which did not earn them a playoff

berth or a play-in spot. For James Individually, he became surpassed Karl

Malone and became 2nd all time in points made, he became the first player

to have 10k+ points, 10k+ rebounds, and 10k+ assists in a career, and

became the oldest player to average 30+ points per game in a season.

This season was undoubtedly one of the greatest seasons that history has

ever seen.

Conclusion: Feats from 2023-2025

Over the past 3 years, LeBron has accomplished many feats and continued to solidify his name in the eyes of NBA History. Starting from 2023, the

Lakers made major roster changes that morphed them into the team that

they are today. Like trading for Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, Jarred

Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, and Dorian Finney-Smith. And signing people

like Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood, and Cam Reddish.

Though about half of them were traded or released, the Lakers would not

be the team they are right now without those acquisitions. Since 2023, LA

has had unfortunate losses to the Denver Nuggets. Despite many changes

and one league-shocking trade.

One thing has remained constant for LA since 2018 — LeBron James. He has been the driving force of this organization since his arrival. He has accomplished the unimaginable and made a name for himself as a Laker. During this tenure, LeBron has

extended his record for most all-star appearances, he won the very first In-

Season Tournament and was also crowned MVP of the tournament, played

a full season with his son, Bronny James, and finally, he broke Kareem

Abdul-Jabbar's record for most points in a career. Not only that, but he

made an unfathomable record of his own, reaching 40K+ career points. So,

in the words of James, “Greatness isn't given, it’s taken – just like my rebounds."