LeBron James is 30 years old and has played over 36,000 professional minutes. He’s been relied upon as much, if not more, than any other professional athlete, regardless of the sport. There’s only so much the human body can take and it’s only a matter of time until his breaks down. When this happens, there will be a new king to crown, and there are a lot of suitors for the title of King of the NBA.
Here’s a list of some potential suitors, should the King’s reign come to an end:
#1: Kevin Durant, since coming into the league has been a dominating scorer and is widely considered to be LeBron’s potential successor. After a few injury plagued years, Durant is picking up where he left off as the favorite to dethrone King James. With a solid team, Durant will look to make a championship run, which last time was thwarted by the King himself.
#2: Steph Curry stole the title right out from under LeBron last year and that could be a trend that continues. Curry may be the most dominating and efficient shooter in the history of NBA. He’s virtually unstoppable when he has the ball in his hands. Curry and the Warriors will look to defend their title this year and as long as his team can stay together, he could have a potentially Jordan-esque title run.
#3: James Harden has the offensive power to win any game he plays. He has the pure talent to match anyone in the NBA. So, what’s the problem? Why isn’t he first on this list? Because unlike LeBron, Harden does not play defense. It’s yet to be seen whether he can play, but won’t, or whether he just isn’t a good defensive player. If he learns and has the desire to become a two-way player, watch out, because the league may be in trouble.
#4: Anthony Davis was regarded as one of the best prospects to come out of Kentucky in years. He’s lived up to that hype and more. He’s a 6’10” power forward that can stretch the floor and is one of the NBA’s premiere defenders. What makes Davis so interesting is his youth. At only 22 years of age, he has the ability to dominate the league long after the others on this list, excluding the next player you’re about to read about.
#5: Andrew Wiggins was drafted by the LeBron-centered Cleveland Cavaliers and looked to be the heir to the throne. Since then, he’s been traded to Minnesota, where he has flourished. This rookie-of-the-year showed ability to score and defend. Since high school, Wiggins has been compared to LeBron. After his rookie year and strong start to 2016, those comparisons are only going to get louder. If Wiggins can improve as a shooter, and find a winning team, he could be someone whose name will be next to LeBron and Jordan’s in a lot of NBA history books.
–Mike Hersey
