LeBron James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, but his critics still love to point out that he doesn’t have a “bag.” James recently shut down that “no bag” talk, and his former Miami Heat teammate, Ray Allen, was asked about this topic on the Dan Patrick Show.
“When you talk about a guy having a ‘bag,’ it’s having that pet move where they can get to it and nobody could stop it,” Allen said. “LeBron has always been an unstoppable, undeniable force, where if you put a bigger guy on him, he can’t keep up with him because he doesn’t have the footwork. If you put a smaller guy on him, he doesn’t have the size.
“So, LeBron’s never really had to have a pet move because he can just go downhill and score over everybody,” Allen added.
As Allen pointed out, when you’re either bigger or faster than whoever is guarding you, you don’t need a “bag.” Combine that size and athleticism with James’ basketball IQ, and you get an unstoppable force.
James is also capable of making all kinds of shots. He excels near the rim, but is also great at hitting the fadeaway in the post and can step out and hit the three-pointer as well. He has developed those facets of his game to ensure that powering his way to the basket isn’t his only option.
“With LeBron, that’s just the pop culture way of saying that he doesn’t have the go-to move that people can rely on seeing from him every night,” Allen stated. “… He’s still going to score 25+ points a night just because he has pure dominance.”
James averaged at least 25 points per game for a record 20 consecutive seasons. He nearly made it 21, but narrowly missed out this season by averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Los Angeles Lakers.
It’s safe to say no one is going to break this record. Kevin Durant is the one closest to James at 16, but you won’t fancy his chances of getting to 20.
This record is a testament to James’ longevity and his greatness. The fact that the likes of Tracy McGrady still exclude him from their list of the five greatest scorers of all time is mind-boggling.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Came To LeBron James’ Defense
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is another who has been termed as a superstar with no “bag”. Antetokounmpo came to James’ defense after his comments went viral.
“If there are people out there that believe that one of the greatest players to ever be on earth has no bag… Man I’ve seen it all.”
Antetokounmpo knows what James would feel like when people say that. A couple of years ago, he had hit back at those who said he doesn’t have a “bag.”
“There’s a narrative out there that’s false. I got a bag. But it’s good like this. Keep it on the low. When you get your a** here to Milwaukee, and you get embarrassed, you go back home and start contemplating life. Taking a shower thinking, ‘I didn’t know Giannis had a bag.’”
Antetokounmpo and James have embarrassed opponents on a nightly basis for years now. You might find a lot of players with a better “bag” than these two, but there aren’t too many who dominate the game the way they can.
