LeBron James entered the bubble with a gray-tinted beard — perhaps as a message that he's dominating at an age when many athletes retire

Scott DavisJul 31, 2020, 05:01 IST

Insider

LeBron James, before his beard appeared gray.Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James is sporting a bushy beard with gray hairs in it in the Disney bubble.
Many of James' public moves are intentional, and his beard may be meant as a message about dominating even as he gets older.
James has had an MVP-level season this year, and he's in prime position in the bubble to add meaningful accomplishments to his legacy — even at 35 years old.

LeBron James is the elder statesman of the NBA, and he's not afraid to show it.

When the Los Angeles Lakers entered the Disney bubble to resume the season, 35-year-old James showed up with a thick beard with gray flecks in it, a departure from his normal look.

While the beard itself may not be a remarkable change, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne believes James is sending a message to the league. As Shelburne wrote, James rarely does anything these days that's unintentional. As the 17-year-veteran returns to the court with a chance to win a title and re-establish himself as the best in the league, the grey beard may be a message that age is just a number.

"Showing up to the bubble as a graybeard is just a continuance of the statement LeBron has been making all season: Father Time might be coming for him someday soon, but not yet," Shelburne wrote.

Yes, it may be a stretch, but James has been known to touch up his hairline before. In the bubble, however, the beard has remained gray.

James' season has been about redemption

The 2018-19 season was a low point in James' career. The Lakers began the season 20-14, but James suffered the worst injury of his career — a groin strain — and missed multiple games. Then the Lakers missed the playoffs, all while the team came undone during trade talks for Anthony Davis.

So 2019-20 has been a season for redemption. Before the season, James referred to himself as the "#washedking," mocking critics who wondered if he was past his prime.

And James has delivered so far.

Before the season was put on hold, he put up MVP-level stats while leading the Lakers to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. James, playing full-time point guard for the first time in his career, led the league in assists and posted one of his more efficient seasons on offense. On defense, he was reinvigorated.

Right before games were suspended, James and the Lakers took down the Milwaukee Bucks and LA Clippers, the other two best teams in the NBA, with James out-playing Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard. He seemed to be closing the gap on Antetokounmpo for MVP.

But then the season was upended by the pandemic.

Now, as basketball resumes, James is in "remarkable" shape, according to Shelburne. If the Lakers win a championship, it'll be the fourth of James' career, moving him closer to Michael Jordan's six.

It would also make James the first player to win championships with three different franchises (Leonard is trying to do the same this year) and make him the fourth player in the league history with four MVPs and four championships. (Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell are the others.)

For James to be near the top of his game at this stage of his career is remarkable. The gray beard is simply a reminder that he's dominating at an age when many of his peers would retire.

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LeBron James entered the bubble with a gray-tinted beard — perhaps as a message that he's dominating at an age when many athletes retire

James' season has been about redemption