In the summer of 2018, LeBron James took his talents to the Los Angeles Lakers. The season that followed was an unmitigated disaster, as the Lakers missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
Towards the end of that season, James made a promise to end the team’s playoff drought. With a win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, that drought finally ended.
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The last time the Lakers made the playoffs was in the 2012-13 season, which was the last time Kobe Bryant played at an elite level.
With two games left in that campaign, Bryant ruptured his Achilles against the Golden State Warriors and was shut down for the remainder of the season.
With a 48-13 record, the Lakers not only will make their long-awaited return to the playoffs, but will be legitimate championship contenders.
The last time they had this great a record at this point in a season was during the 2008-09 season, when Bryant won his fourth NBA title.
James has been the biggest reason the Lakers are riding high. He’s averaging 25.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and a league-best 10.7 assists a game.
