The Los Angeles Lakers star’s game has evolved over the past 20 years, making him a threat all over the court, regardless of age.
LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA career record with 38,387 points. To get there, he adapted to a rapid and drastic change in playing style that transformed the game he had already learned to dominate.
NBA teams are shooting nearly twice as many 3-pointers as when James started his career in 2003. They focus less on big men who score close to the edge, like Abdul-Jabbar, than on quick players who can shoot from afar. James can do both.
Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record testifies to the sustained effectiveness of the sky hook, a highly technical shot that only he masters. James, in a testament to adaptability, dethroned Abdul-Jabbar by scoring in all sorts of ways and learning new skills as the game changed around him.
The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted James first overall when he was 18 and a few months too late to face Michael Jordan, who retired for good after the 2002-3 season. They were often compared to each other, and James quickly showed why with powerful drives to the rim and fluid mid-air contortions in the Jordan pattern.
At first glance, it might seem like James can drive so effectively because he’s just faster and stronger than everyone else. And at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, he usually is. He drew comparisons to football players with the way he flies down the lane. (He played football in high school.) But in addition to his speed and strength, he has the footwork and tight ball handling to change direction in an instant. This devastating combination made him one of the league’s top scorers throughout his career.
January 31 against Knicks.
Photographs by Bedel Saget/The New York Times
“His longevity is simply remarkable. Playing at this level for so long, we’ve never seen this before. I don’t know the next time we’ll see him again.
— Joe Dumars, NBA Executive Vice President for Basketball Operations
James’ game had its limits early on, however. In James’ first NBA Finals appearance, with the Cavaliers in 2007, the San Antonio Spurs clogged the traffic lanes, exploiting his poor outside shot. Spurs swept the series, 4-0. James averaged just 22 points per game and missed about two-thirds of his shots.
In time, he would get better.
Four years later, after losing again in the NBA Finals, this time to the Miami Heat, James took it upon himself to expand his offensive repertoire. During the 2011 offseason, he began working with another scoring legend, Hakeem Olajuwon, who was known for his ballet footwork at the post.
James, a striker, has the size to knock back almost anyone.
By starting more of his attacks from the post, with his back to the basket, James could exert less energy than he did for edge drives and be more selective about the shots he took. This style of play earned Olajuwon 12th place on the NBA’s career scoring list.
January 31 against Knicks.
Photographs by Bedel Saget/The New York Times
Notice how patient James is in this footage from the Los Angeles Lakers game against the Knicks last week. He anticipates the moves of multiple defenders, watches open passing lanes, and creates space for a shot by first threatening to drive.
Between the 2006-7 season and his first championship with the Heat in 2012, James nearly doubled his time in position, according to Synergy Sports. Even now, as his speed and explosiveness have diminished with age, James has always been able to rely on this skill.
Early in James’ career, 3-point shooting was the glaring weakness of his game. He didn’t take much and he didn’t make much. But, following the evolution of the league, James has more than doubled the number of 3-pointers he attempts per game since his rookie season. It does about three times as much.
He can run hot and cold deep, but this approach allows him to preserve his body while scoring at a high level. According to Synergy Sports, the demanding athletic workouts that defined his early career have shrunk by about a third per game since the 2004-5 season.
When he consistently hits his outside shots, opponents run out of options.
January 31 against Knicks.
Photographs by Bedel Saget/The New York Times
“When he knocks down that 3 ball and step back, it opens up everything else for him. It’s so hard to keep.
His step back 3 is devastatingly simple. He reads as slow, but defenders, well aware that he can charge into the lane, never seem to react in time. In a disorienting moment, James appears to wake from a daydream, shifting from a slow, methodical dribble to the fluid shooting motion he’s honed over the years.
That’s his secret to being great: making defenders guess. Abdul-Jabbar had a signature shot that everyone knew was coming but couldn’t stop. James’ method was different but no less successful. You never know how he’s going to score on you – with a drive, a post-up or a step back 3. But after 20 years and four NBA championships, you can bet he’s going to get his points.
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