LeBron James turned 30 on Tuesday with an almost dizzying number of superlatives behind him already during his basketball career, including four NBA most valuable player awards, two league titles and two Olympic gold medals.
James took a rare rest on the bench while his Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Atlanta Hawks 109-101 on Tuesday, but arguably the best basketball player in the world has already earned a break this season. Cleveland's
Plain Dealer noted that James is the only NBA players this season to average more than 25 points (25.2), five rebounds (5.3) and seven assists (7.6) per game as of Tuesday.
According to ESPN.com, James' 23,901 points, which are the 23rd most in NBA history, are the most points ever by a player before he turned 30. His four NBA MVPs are also the most by any league player in history before his 30th birthday.
James, though, shrugged off the milestone birthday this week, noted the Plain Dealer.
"It's not 'Oh my God,' it's the wow factor, you know, I've been in this thing for 12 years already, and I've done some pretty cool things in my career," James told reporters on Monday.
James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers this season after four years with the Miami Heat. He led that team to four straight NBA Finals, winning two of them. There are concerns, though, about his health since he was a starter in the league since he was 19 years old.
Kurt Helin of NBC Sports Pro Basketball Talk suggested James' legacy in the NBA is still being written.
"We know he is arguably the most physically gifted player ever in the league (or at least in the conversation with Wilt Chamberlain) and we know that he has a couple of rings and multiple titles already," wrote Helin. "But LeBron is in the middle of his prime right now, he just made a legacy-altering return to Cleveland. What we will think of him and his place in the history of the game in five or 10 years is simply speculation. It depends on outcomes yet to be determined."
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