LeBron James sends a fiery message to his critics in viral tweet.

LeBron James

Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Just hours before tip-off against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, LeBron James published his latest statement to the critics and doubters. In response to an epic highlight mixtape, the Lakers star talked about proving “them” wrong and quipped that people should know better than to bet against his greatness.

“After all this time I’m still proving them wrong! I mean you would think they know by now but you know when it comes to me,” wrote James on X.

The Lakers took a loss last night against the defending champions, but it was another fine performance from James, who finished with 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists per game on 45% shooting. Regardless of the Lakers’ record, what LeBron has been doing this season, his 21st, is truly unprecedented and it’s breaking every known metric. For the season, the King is up to 24.9 points, 7.6 assists, and 7.4 rebounds per game on 51.9% shooting and he’s been the engine of a Lakers team that leans almost entirely on his consistent excellence.

Throughout NBA history, nobody has enjoyed the kind of longevity that LeBron has, and he is raising the bar in real-time for how long players can extend their careers after 35 years. At this point, James has nothing left to prove as a player or as a leader in the NBA, and yet he continues to operate like he desperately wants to win. Love him or hate him, LeBron’s impact on the game is undeniable and his drive to prove the haters wrong is part of the steam that keeps him going so late into his career. The only thing holding him back is the Lakers, and their inability to build a proper contender could cost LeBron a chance to close the GOAT debate for good.

LeBron James Wants To Win Another Title Before He Retires

As a 4x NBA champion, LeBron is certainly not short on hardware after 20+ years in the league. But his desire to win has not waned in his advanced age, and he’s been putting more pressure than ever on the Lakers to build him a team that he can contend with. Last season, we saw what James could do with a squad that had adequate supporting talent, and they were able to win two playoff rounds before their sweep against the eventual champions. This season, however, the Lakers are not showing signs of improvement. At just 27-26 on the season, Los Angeles is far from where they were hoping to be and it’s shaping up to be another wasted year of LeBron’s career.

This deadline, after doing nothing, optimism in Los Angeles is at an all-time low for salvaging what’s left of LeBron’s final seasons. Anthony Davis has been good when playing, but inconsistency both on and off the floor has put the Lakers in a lot of difficult situations. Of course, there are also serious concerns about Austin Reaves, who has yet to break out into the player that Lakers fans were hoping for. All the while, questions remain about head coach Darvin Ham and his ability to keep the guys bought in during a shaky season. Now that the deadline has come and gone, it should be easier to avoid any distractions in the future and it may be a sign that the Lakers are finally headed in the right direction.