In his 15th season in the league, LeBron James has continued to show that he has plenty left in the tank to play at an elite level.
The 33-year-old put that on full display once again on Saturday night against the Orlando Magic throwing down a vicious one-hand dunk over Evan Fournier.
James made the play look quite easy taking off in stride over Fournier, who was just a step late to put himself in a better position to defend the dunk. The four-time league MVP saw that slight open space and took advantage of the situation to throw down a highlight jam.
Although he’s in his 15th year in the league, these types of plays are still expected from him when these scenarios arise during the course of a game. James is one of the best finishers at the rim due to his size and strength.
It was a part of another strong outing from James as he put up a near triple-double with a game-high 33 points with 10 rebounds, nine assists, and six steals in the 131-127 win over the Magic. This also includes him moving into 23rd all-time in made 3-pointers surpassing Tim Hardaway.
He has been putting together another MVP-caliber campaign this season. Entering Saturday’s contest he was averaging a team-high 27.5 points on 55.9 shooting from the field along with 8.1 rebounds, a career-high 9.1 assists, 1.61 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. He is the only NBA player with averages of at least 25.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists this season.
James has also scored at least 20 points 33 times and 30 or more points 15 times this season while shooting at least .500 from the field in 32 of 39 games. He is fifth in the league with 24 double-doubles and second with seven triple-doubles. If James can continue to play at this high level, he could add a fifth MVP award to his mantel at season’s end.
