LeBron James continues to surprise at 40 years old.
Debate continues over where exactly he lands on the list of all-time basketball greats. But there is no debate about its sustained excellence. No one in the history of the NBA has maintained his level of play over 22 seasons until he was 40 years old.
And it’s because he can still do things like this. With 8:06 left in Tuesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, James threw down one of the best dunks of his career.
James’ Lakers teammate Rui Hachimura missed a 3-pointer in the corner and Lakers guard Max Christie grabbed the rebound near the baseline. Christie turned toward midcourt and found James running near the 3-point line at the top of the key zone. He hit James with a pace pass and James did the rest.
James took a single dribble near the foul line, sprinted across the lane and began collecting the ball with his right hand. When Mavericks (7-1) center Dereck Lively challenged him at the rim, James had a change of plans.
He shifted the ball to his left hand, for a windmill shot. A jumping Lively didn’t stand a chance. James scored the dunk, much to the delight of the Lakers bench and TNT’s Kevin Harlan.
And remember, James is right-handed. He did it with his free hand.
James then had the wherewithal after the dunk to run toward the defense and steal the inbounds pass. He was quintessential LeBron and a demonstration of what he still brings to the game.
He may no longer be a perennial MVP candidate. But James remains one of the best and most exciting players in the game.