LeBron James reflects on having the ‘weight of the world’ on his shoulders

By Orel Dizon
Updated: May 1, 2022

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James just finished his 19th season in the league. It has been quite a journey for one of the best basketball players ever.

Recently, some old footage of James from when he was still a high school prodigy surfaced on Twitter. He caught wind of the post and reminisced on when he had the “weight of the world” on his shoulders.

Wow it's been awhile since I've seen that footage. Weight of the world on the shoulders on #ThekidfromAKRON🤴🏾 https://t.co/nj1hj3xIe7

— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 1, 2022

Before he even set foot in the NBA, James was already a big name in the basketball world. Some outlets even saw him as the next Michael Jordan. Nearly two decades later, the Ohio native has shown that the hype surrounding him then was not unfounded.

James took the league by storm when he entered it as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. He first played for his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Looking to win an elusive title, he joined the Miami Heat in 2010 to form a Big 3 with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The partnership resulted in two NBA championships before James returned home to Cleveland in 2014. He led the Cavs to the promised land, winning his third title and the organization’s first in 2016.

In 2018, the four-time MVP made his way to L.A. James claimed his fourth title in 2020, which also happened to be the Lakers’ 17th overall.

This season, James was hoping to add another trophy to his collection. But things did not go as planned, with injuries and chemistry issues hounding the Lakers all season long.

Even so, the 18-time All-Star showed that he’s still got plenty left in the tank. At 37 years old, he was still able to average 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game in the regular season. Unfortunately, the Lakers failed to make it to the playoffs, finishing 11th in the Western Conference.