- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,129,517
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
Over a dozen years later, LeBron James will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in an NBA playoff series. Considering how high the turnover rate is in the NBA business, it's with a completely new cast of characters. The only similarity between the 2012 NBA Finals and their 2026 NBA playoffs Round 2 matchup lies in the front office with Sam Presti.
The last of his generation, James is still kicking it at 41 years old. He may no longer be the face of the NBA, but he's played at an All-Star level — which is a lot higher than other 40-plus-year-old players have shown throughout the league's history. Most succumb to a bench player role. He was the best player in a Round 1 series win over the Houston Rockets.
The 2000s and 2010s belonged to James. The 2020s, on the other hand, are partially owned by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. With the possibility of owning more of it in the latter half of the decade. Unlike James, he's had an unconventional ascension into NBA superstardom. He wasn't the top pick of his draft class. Most folks couldn't even spell his name properly in his first few seasons. He only became a household name four years into his career.
Heck — when the Thunder acquired Gilgeous-Alexander, he wasn't even the headliner of the 2019 blockbuster deal. He's worked his way up the ladder. And with four superb-efficient 30-plus point campaigns, two probable MVP trophies and a championship ring under his belt, he's now synonymous with this era of basketball.
Ahead of Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers, Gilgeous-Alexander paid his respects to James. The reigning MVP might come from the Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant to Stephen Curry lineage of all-time guards, but he can recognize just how important James is to basketball's lore.
"We can sit here all day and talk about things he's done for the game. Guy's one of the best players to ever pick up a basketball in the history of human beings. It speaks for itself," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "The whole position-less basketball is him. You guys don't need me to sit here and tell you how great a player LeBron James is. It should be a fun matchup. You can really test yourself against him. Obviously, he's a little bit out of his prime, but he's very capable."
What this Round 2 series might lack in terms of competitive basketball, it more than makes up for with NBA storylines. The Thunder are the overwhelming championship favorite. They look primed to go back-to-back. On their way to sports glory, they face the NBA's premier franchise and arguably the biggest name the sport has ever had.
It might not be a direct passing-of-the-torch moment, per se, but Gilgeous-Alexander knows the dispatching of James and the Lakers on his way to back-to-back MVPs and championship rings could provide him a skyrocket-esque boost to his all-time legacy points. Even for folks who feel like the reigning MVP isn't in those conversations yet.
"Playing against an all-time great like that," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "You get up for those games."
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: How beating LeBron James would help Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's NBA legacy
Continue reading...
