LeBron James capped off Year 20 in the NBA the only way he knew how: a crowning moment. James, who has long been nicknamed “King,” stamped his team’s position as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference on Sunday when he nailed a deep three-pointer to seal the game against the Jazz and had a signature celebration ready.
With 41 seconds left in the game and Los Angeles up by eight points, James calmly walked up the right sideline only to pull up from another area code. More specifically, the Crypto.com arena logo.
After he nailed the shot, James placed an imaginary crown on his head.
LeBron James from the logo and then proceeds to put the crown on his head 👑 pic.twitter.com/cnfLpPOutT
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) April 9, 2023
The celebration is likely a reference to James’s status as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer after he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in February. He scored 36 points Sunday to end this season with 38,652 career points. He averaged almost 29 points per game at 38 years old and now will look to the postseason.
As the No. 7 seed, Los Angeles must compete in the play-in tournament. The Lakers draw the No. 8 Timberwolves for Tuesday night on TNT. If Los Angeles wins, it will get the No. 7 seed for the playoffs and will face the Grizzlies in the first round. If the Lakers lose, they’ll face the winner of the No. 9/No. 10 game for the final playoff spot.
