LeBron James says there’s nothing left for him to prove as a basketball player

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has arguably the most impressive resume of any NBA player ever, so it shouldn’t come as a shock that the 39-year-old thinks he doesn’t have anything left to prove on the court.

“Is there anything left for me to accomplish as a basketball player?” James asked. “No. Everything else is extra credit. I’ll take it, though. I love it — I love what I do. But I don’t need the — I got everything.”

James has won numerous awards that plenty of NBA players go their entire careers without obtaining. First off, James is a four-time NBA champion, and he was perhaps the best player on all four title teams that he’s been a part of, considering he also has won four Finals MVPS.

On top of his several titles, James also has earned an incredible amount of hardware for his individual accomplishments. He has four regular-season MVPs under his belt, and the last time he won the award came in the 2012-13 campaign when he was a member of the Miami Heat. Michael Jordan, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the lone three NBA players who have won more MVPs than James has.

In addition, James has put together a lengthy streak of All-Star appearances. He has qualified in each of his last 20 seasons, and he has more appearances under his belt than any single player in league history.

While James may not think he has anything to prove as a basketball player, he will still try to win his fifth NBA championship and second as a member of the Lakers in 2025. He won his first title in Los Angeles in 2020, when the team eliminated the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

Ever since the Lakers won a title at the start of the decade, the team hasn’t even appeared in an NBA Finals since then. Plus, Los Angeles is several months removed from getting eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

It’s up in the air right now as to whether James will win another NBA championship before his fantastic career comes to a close, but doing so would ostensibly bolster his case as the greatest basketball player of all time.