Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated PressAfter leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 95-80 win over the Miami Heat on Friday and helping them improve to an NBA-best 7-1 on the season, LeBron James explained a recent tweet and how it plays into his self-motivation.
In Tuesday's 118-112 win over the Chicago Bulls, James posted his third consecutive triple-double. He replied to a tweet about the accomplishment with "#WashedKing."
LeBron James @KingJames#WashedKing 🤫👑 https://t.co/gM9mrkBvbF
According to Mark Medina of USA Today, LeBron said that the hashtag is part of his process to push himself to be great: "It's just my personal motivation. I'm extra motivated to put myself in a position where I know I belong. It's my personal motivation every single night to be on the floor and be great."
James' has arguably been the best player in basketball through eight games this season, as his 26.0 points, 10.5 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game make him an early contender for the MVP award.
When James missed 27 games last season due to injury and the Lakers finished a disappointing 37-45 in his first campaign with the team, there were plenty in the media and on social media questioning whether LeBron might be "washed up."
Perhaps James' struggles last season can be attributed to his health and a supporting cast that didn't necessarily fit alongside him. Now, the 34-year-old future Hall of Famer is playing some of the best basketball of his career and has Lakers fans believing that a championship is possible.
The arrival of Anthony Davis has undoubtedly taken some of the pressure off LeBron's shoulders, and Davis alluded to that by saying he and James try to work in tandem as much as possible: "We just try to lead together. We're one on the floor and talking to those guys. We communicate every timeout on what we want to do and what we see on the floor and go from there."
There is a long season ahead of James and the Lakers, but he has shown that he is still one of the best players in the world when healthy.
If both he and Davis can stay off the injured list and keep rolling like they have to this point, the Lakers have a chance to earn the best record in the NBA and play for a championship, although Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers may have something to say about that.
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