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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has been named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 9, the league announced on Monday.
In the three games James played last week, he averaged 28.3 points, 11 rebounds, 9.7 assists, 1.3 steals and a block per game. The Lakers went 3-0 during that stretch.
This marks James’ first-ever Western Conference Player of the Week award, since he didn’t win the award last season and played in the Eastern Conference every season prior to last year. The last time James won the award was March 26, 2018, when he was still with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has now won a player of the week award an NBA-record 62 times.
But James has had more than just a good week for the Lakers. This season, James is averaging 26.1 points, a league-high 10.7 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. No other player in the NBA is averaging at least 20 points and 10 assists per game. Additionally, James is one of three players averaging at least 25 points per game on at least 50% shooting from the field. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Devin Booker are the others. James is nine years older than Antetokounmpo, and 11 years older than Booker.
James has been really, really good, and he’s not the only one.
James is the second player on the Lakers to win an NBA Western Conference Player of the Week award this season. Anthony Davis has won it twice since the season started. The Lakers are the only team in the NBA to have two of the league’s top-10 scorers on their roster. They’re also the only team to have two player of the week honorees so far this year.
LeBron James is good. Anthony Davis is good. The Lakers are good. Understand that this won’t be the last time the league recognizes that with awards this season.
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