The NBA torch doesn’t go from LeBron to Luca on Christmas, but King James has all but anointed Donetsk his heir apparent

In the lifelong context of Basketball’s general career, the “King” LeBron James’ rule as the NBA’s best player is practically Elizabeth.

Both are Queen Elizabeth, that is. Ruled for the first 44 years; The sovereignty of the other is 68 years and counting.

This is King James’ 18th NBA season. It’s five days since her 36th birthday. But unlike Netflix Crown, In which Charles, the un-embracing heir of Elizabeth II, is in permanent custody, King James has embraced in public and all have anointed his potential successor.

He is 21-year-old Dallas Mavericks sensation Luca Donic. On Friday night, Christmas night, when the Mavericks rule NBA champions face the Lakers, ABC will still showcase the great king and the most perverted prince.

Ordinary Donsick rejects any notion that he is the face of the NBA, but Friday’s primetime billing sounds exactly right. He has stepped into the realm of Donetsk King James, literally at the Staples Center in Los Angeles; As figuratively as the moment. It will be James’ 15th Christmas game and Donik’s first.

“It’s a long way to go to be one of the faces of the league,” Donsic protested, but added: “It’s something special. We’re playing champions, so it’s going to be something special. I always wanted to play on Christmas Day. “

LeBron-Luka is both catchy and lyrical. But please don’t make the mistake of Friday night This Passing the torch. It will need to happen at the right time.

As James showed the Lakers leading the championship last season, his game, mind-set and 6-9, 250-pound frame have considerable power.

Last season’s title, earned two months ago in the NBA’s Coronavirus-linked land Rlando Bubble, was the Lakers’ first in a decade and James’s fourth with three franchises.

“The Lakers want their respect,” he told Miami after the Lakers’ victory in the final. “And I have to respect that too.”

Uletide message

Championships are the ultimate means of crowning NBA stars as the best of their era, but the league’s high-profile Christmas games have a history of new regimes.

Chicago’s Michael Jordan was the annual Christmas star starting in 1986, but it was his 37-point effort against Detroit in the 1990s that knocked the Bulls out of the Pistons in this season’s conference final and foreshadowed their first NBA title to come.

Jordan’s successor was Kobe Bryant as the best player in the NBA. On Christmas Day 1999, 20-year-old Bryant drowned San Antonio’s Jaren Jackson within minutes of the Lakers’ victory over reigning champions Spurs. A few months later, Los Angeles won its first three straight titles.

And in 2009 and 2010, Bryant and James faced constant Christmas. James led Cleveland to victory in the first year, then performed with a 27-point triple-double for Miami the following Christmas, as the hit took down two-time reigning champions Los Angeles.

The following year marks the first of the Mavericks, and so far, has only been a Christmas look, as James and Heat avenged their final defeat against Dirk Nvitzki and Dallas six months ago.

Now the Mavericks are back in the Ulitide spotlight, and they know exactly why.

Mavericks Maxi Kleber said, “She is very attractive. “We know this is obviously because of Luke, the talent he has. It’s a big stage, a big opportunity and we’re all looking forward to it. ”

King’s embrace

During James ’long reign, which included building an All-NBA team 16 times, building an All-Defensive team six times and winning four Most Valuable Player Awards, there will be several other successors who have won MVPs and remained bright stars. In the NBA’s galaxy.

Kevin Durant. Stuffed curry. Russell Westbrook. James Harden. And twice-ruling MVP Giannis Antetok oun Nmpo, who is 26 years old and five years older than Donetsk.

All have been praised to some extent by King James, but nothing as consistently or effectively as Donic.

On November 1 last season, James became the oldest player to record 30 points and 15 assists in the game in a nine-point Lakers win at American Airlines Center; And Donetsk has become the youngest player to record a triple-double with at least 30 points and 15 assists.

James embraces Donsick after the final horn, a TV microphone catching James, revealing James in a catchy way.You are bad [expletive]”

And earlier this month, in an interview with Spectrum Sports Net, James asked Donsick without asking.

“Luca is my favorite player in the NBA today, for the simple fact that the way I play the game is exactly what he loves me as a game. Team first. His people get involved. ‘If you challenge me to score, I will score.’ ”

James then revealed that while Donsick was soon a shoe-and-apparel free agent, he wanted to sign Donsick as his first “Team LeBron” Nike supporter.

Donsick eventually signed with the Jordan brand, which is part of the Nike umbrella. But imagine his surprise and joy when James ’team LeBron’s comment went public.

“Obviously, I didn’t know that before,” Donsick said. “When someone sent me and I saw it, that’s how I knew it. It’s just something special and that I can’t explain. ”

Growing up in Slovenia, how could Donetsk express so much about it by the most pagan player?

Impressive start

Two seasons ago, after confronting James for the first time, he waited outside the colored Donetsk Lakers’ locker room to get an autographed James jersey.

Now that Donsick is mentioned as broadly and vaguely in the same breath as James, there is no doubt that many of the early goals of his career have put him in James’ company.

The third-youngest player (at age 21) to make the All-NBA first team, second only to James (2006) and Max Zaslovsky (1947). The youngest second in the MVP poll, second only to James (2006).

The second highest scoring average (24.2) by a single player on his 21st birthday, behind James’ 25.0.

Given the pressure of Donsick’s weather career, it’s not surprising that in the league general managers’ annual NBA dot com poll, Donsick and Antatokounmpo were voted among the co-MVP favorites this season.

If Donetsk wins the award this season, he will accept Chicago’s Derrick Rose as his youngest winner. For that to happen, however, the Mavericks will need to improve after the conclusion of last season’s seventh-place Western Conference.

In the last 35 years, only Westbrook (2017), Steve Nash (2006) and Jordan (1988) have been named as MVPs while playing in the worst-ranked team in conference conditions.

“I think Luca is a tremendous performer, and he deserves the opportunity to be mentioned in the conversation,” said Jalen Rose, an ESPN analyst and 13-season NBA PV.

“I think he will depend on it [the Mavericks’] Record, if they can make it in the first three places, ”he added. “But skill-wise and game-wise and statistics-wise, he will definitely qualify in the conversation.”

Normal entrance

The most impressive aspect of Donsick’s worldwide visibility and admiration is how much it has come to life.

No shiny ad campaigns. There are no boastful Donsick comments. With nothing but Donetsk passing every eye test, and many shining testimonials from NBA coaches and stars, King James himself is no more significant and meaningful than that.

“I think Luca’s basketball is like a gift from the gods because it’s pure,” said Bill Duffy, founder of BND Sports Management. News This week. “He loves the game. It is executed. “

Duffy is certainly not biased, but as a leading part of Donsick’s inner circle, his opinion is as close as you can get from Donick. And these are more statements of fact than pride.

If in fact Doncis continued his path and eventually succeeded King James, who gave Kobe success following his errors, it would be because he earned it.

However, the chances of support for Donetsk are certainly not small, with Duffy and Donetsk’s European-based agents Quick Villalobos and everyone on the BDA spending more of their energy keeping Donetsk’s basketball plate as clear as possible.

“It’s a group effort with everyone around him,” Duffy said. “He commands so much that he wants minimal deviation.

“He wants his performance to speak for him.”

Including Friday night: A lot of long-running Christmas performances, against King, whom he had long worshiped and perhaps decided to succeed.

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