LeBron James is having another monstrous season this year. Racking up 30 points and catching over 8 boards and dishing just under 7 dimes a game for the season so far. These numbers are unprecedented, especially for someone heading into their 20th season.
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Although the numbers on the stats sheet haven’t changed much over the years, the King’s appearance has gone through a unique shift, his iconic headband is now gone.
LeBron James:
Career Avg: This Season:
27.2 PPG 29.1 PPG
7.5 RPG 8.2 RPG
7.3 APG 6.7 APG
50/34/76 51/30/76
55 2P% 60 2P%MVP BRON 👑 #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/sPfVD3Fzs6
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) January 8, 2023
Also read: LeBron James Makes it to a Unique Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Held Record Within 10 Days of Turning 38
The king dropped a monster game after losing his iconic headband
The first 12 seasons saw LeBron dawning the iconic headband. From his debut season in 2003 to 2013, in around 1000 games, the headband made an appearance in every single one. In the 2013 finals against the spurs, after the contact during a dunk, LeBron was seen losing his iconic headband for the first time.
Though this led to nothing but good things for Miami and King James as he forced an overtime win over the Duncan Spurs while dropping a 30-piece.
The 2015 season saw the King suiting up for the first time without his iconic headband from the tip-off. Carrying forward his “All in mantra” from the pre-season presser the king ditched his headband.
Lebron clarified his reason to do so in an interview with Northeast Ohio Media Group. He stated that “I did it because I just wanted to look like my teammates. Just wanted to be one. Nothing more than that.”
“No Headband” LeBron James was stellar in 2015 and it ushered in a new era
The 2015 season was nothing short of amazing, as the King carried the Cavaliers to the finals. Though he couldn’t overcome the Splash Brothers in the finals, he had one of the greatest finals performances in NBA history, averaging over 35 points per game during the series.
As for the headband, his teammates weren’t necessarily chuffed by James’ cold enthusiasm, with Veteran Mike Miller jokingly stating that “Well, that’s the only way he can [look like us] because I can’t get away with wearing a headband”.
Though we never might know what caused James to ditch the headband, whatever the secret, it is working for the King. He continues to put the League on notice as he hopes to carry the lakers to what could be his 16th playoff appearance in his 20th year. Unprecedented.
