Dereck Lively II wasn’t even born when LeBron James joined the NBA in 2003. 22 years later, the sophomore center was on the receiving end of one of James’ electrifying dunks during their matchup on Tuesday night.
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Former NBA guard Austin Rivers was among those to celebrate the King’s feat of athleticism, taking to his podcast to praise the four-time MVP. “To be jumping at age 40, off left foot and dunking left hand, switching in the air windmill on a seven foot Dereck Lively, it’s the nuttiest s**t I’ve ever seen,” Rivers said on ‘Offguard’.
“Before Dereck Lively was born, LeBron James was a rookie in the NBA. Now, Dereck Lively has himself a position in the NBA and is getting his curly headed afro punched on by a 40-year-old.”
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Rivers had nothing but love and respect for the King. He recalled his own experience matching up against James and comforted Lively by sharing that every player has had their own challenges guarding LeBron.
The four-time NBA champion would lose the game 118-97, but he still stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists on Tuesday. Like Rivers, most of the NBA was bewildered to see James play like the best athlete on the court just a few days after his 40th birthday.
Rivers was already sold on Bron’s 22nd season after watching him perform during the Paris Olympics. During the summer, he argued that James and AD were performing like the best players on Team USA and their partnership gave him new hope about the Lakers’ title aspirations.
“All I’ve heard this past year is how the door for LeBron James and winning championships in Los Angeles is closed, and the more I watch USA Basketball, I just can’t disagree anymore,” Rivers commented in July.
Six months later, the Lakers hold a 20-16 record with LeBron and AD still leading the way. While they haven’t looked like title contenders — particularly when they lose to short-handed teams like the Mavericks — the King has proven without a doubt that his longevity will never be replicated.
He is still averaging over 10 drives per game in season 22 and running more than 2.3 miles per game. Though his speed isn’t at the level it once was, James’ poster over Lively proved that his athleticism is still well above 95% of the NBA.
