LeBron James was back in Cleveland on Saturday night, which even after all these years is a special occasion. James had a tough night shooting the ball, but still finished with 22 points, six rebounds and six assists to help the Lakers claim a 121-115 victory over the Cavaliers.
During the game, the Cavaliers took the opportunity to honor their greatest player ever with a brilliant tribute video featuring all of his scoring milestones. James, of course, is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, and recently became the first player to reach 39,000 career points. This was James’ first time back in Cleveland since taking the scoring crown from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in February.
James hit the 39,000 point mark on Nov. 21 during the Lakers’ win over the Jazz. He only scored 17 points on the night, but that was more than enough in what was a dominant showing. In any case, it was encouraging for the Lakers to be able to pick up a win without needing a huge game from James, who even in his 21st season remains the team’s driving force.
Through 16 games, he’s averaging 25.5 points, eight rebounds and 6.6 assists, per game. And despite initially saying he would be on a minutes limit this season, he’s playing just under 34 minutes per game, which has him tied for 40th in the league — a remarkable feat for a player about to turn 39 years old.
The video the Cavaliers put together is a fitting tribute for the four-time MVP, who led the franchise to its first and only title in 2016. More than that though, it’s just an awesome watch. It’s well put together and has some cool clips that we don’t often see on James’ highlight reels.
