LeBron James is facing a big week ahead of him as he takes on his team’s biggest rival today, the Golden State Warriors. But that’s just the beginning.
James also has the chance to become the NBA’s leading vote-getter for the fifth time, something that only Michael Jordan (nine times) has achieved so far. Then, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ undisputed leader is set to join the 30,000-point club as the youngest ever to accomplish the feat.
As exciting as the coming week might seem, the Cavs are in a tailspin, losing three straight games ahead of their matchup with the defending champions. They have lost eight of their last 11 games. The Warriors, on the other hand, have won nine of 11. It will take a herculean effort from James to overcome his team’s slump to come up with a win. The Cavaliers lost to the Warriors on Christmas Day, 99-92, on the latter’s home court.
The All-Star voting is ending today, January 15, and LeBron could be the leading vote-getter once again. Should this happen, James will be the second player to accomplish the feat five times next to his idol.
According to NBA.com, “in the second fan returns, James totaled 1,622,838 votes to pass the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (1,480,954) as the top vote-getter in the Eastern Conference and overall.”
If he maintains his lead, the Cavs star will be one of the two captains who will select from the pool of players that were voted as starters and reserves.
Most importantly, James is expected to become the youngest player in NBA history to record 30,000 points. Currently sitting at 29,927 points, LeBron needs to average 24.33 points a game this week, roughly three points below his average, to achieve the mark. The Cavs’ next three games will be against the Warriors, Orlando Magic, and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
If he fails to reach the milestone this week, he will almost assuredly accomplish it on Jan. 23 against the San Antonio Spurs on their home floor.