Just as is the case with NFL players and the Madden franchise, NBA players often anxiously await the annual release of the NBA 2K franchise to see how they are rated in the video game. Of course for Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, he has always been at or near the top when it comes to that.
No player has maintained the high level of play at this advanced stage of their career as LeBron has and that continued last season. Despite dealing with a foot injury late in the year, James still was named to the All-NBA team and pushed the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals in his 20th NBA season.
And that is once again reflected in his rating for the upcoming NBA 2K24 video game as they revealed LeBron will be rated as a 96 overall:
Year 21 and still going 💪 @KingJames #2KRatings #NBA2K24 pic.twitter.com/WrF4Jr88S6
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) August 9, 2023
This is the third consecutive year that James has received that 96 rating for the video game, which has been par for the course for basically his entire career. Since the 2005-06 season, LeBron’s third in the league, he has had a rating below a 96 just one time, and that was just slightly lower at 94. The Lakers star has been rated a perfect 99 twice in this span and a 98 five times.
Even though he had some injury issues, LeBron was still amazing last year, averaging 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists for the Lakers while also breaking the NBA’s all-time scoring record previously held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Following the Lakers’ elimination in the playoffs, James said he would consider retiring but ultimately decided to return for at least one more season.
And now the question once again is whether LeBron will be able to continue to perform at this level in his 21st season. Based on what he did last year it would be hard to bet against him, and the people at NBA 2K clearly believe he remains amongst the NBA’s most elite players.
After Nikola Jokic’s 98 rating, James is tied for the second-highest in the game along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
Austin Reaves thankful for Lakers teammate LeBron James’ praise during Team USA debut
While LeBron is preparing for the season, he still has time to check out and support his teammates in what they are doing, which for Austin Reaves is participating in the FIBA World Cup as part of Team USA.
The team had their first exhibition game against Puerto Rico and LeBron sent out a tweet supporting Reaves in his international debut. The Lakers guard was thankful for the support, noting how it feels good when someone of James’ stature is validating your abilities.
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