Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham believes that superstar LeBron James deserved to make All-NBA First Team for his play this season.
Ham cited the fact that James is excelling at the age of 38 as a reason why he should have made a better All-NBA team.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham says it’s “amazing” that LeBron James made the all-NBA third team at 38 years old and he should’ve been named to the first team for excelling at his age.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) May 11, 2023
James was named to the All-NBA Third Team for his play in the 2022-23 season, yet another accolade on his all-time resume.
The 2022-23 Kia All-NBA Third Team:
▪️ De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
▪️ LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
▪️ Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
▪️ Julius Randle, New York Knicks
▪️ Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings pic.twitter.com/HLhSlCzszN— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 10, 2023
The All-NBA First Team this season consisted of Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer turned in yet another incredible regular season despite dealing with a foot injury in the final stretch of the campaign. James averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from beyond the arc.
The Lakers earned the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference because of James’ play, as he carried the team when Anthony Davis was sidelined due to a foot injury earlier in the season.
What James is doing at his age is unprecedented, and he has a chance to capture his fifth NBA title this season as well. Ham, James and the Lakers are just one win away from advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
In the first round of the playoffs, James helped lead the Lakers past the No. 2-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in six games. Los Angeles then took a 3-1 series lead on the No. 6-seeded Golden State Warriors before losing Game 5 on Wednesday night.
James played well in the team’s Game 5 loss, scoring 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting. He also added nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block in the loss.
A four-time NBA champion, James has actually shown some signs of his actual play slowing down in recent seasons. Over the past few years, he has dealt with more injuries than earlier in his career, but he is still one of the best players in the NBA when he is on the floor.
Ham clearly believes that as well, and the Lakers coach is going to entrust James to lead his team in a crucial Game 6 against Golden State on Friday night.
