Why LeBron James-Luka Dončić Pairing Has Been Perfect

LeBron James scored 50,000 career points after Luka Dončić set him up for an open 3 (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Every week, Mark Medina shares his thoughts and insights on the latest NBA topics for RG. In this installment, he gives his take on LeBron James scoring 50,000 career points and playing so far with Luka Dončić.

The moment thrust LeBron James’ name once again in the NBA history books. The moment also captured what makes James’ dynamic with Luka Dončić so special.

In the Lakers’ 136-115 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena, James became the first player in NBA history to score at least 50,000 career points through the regular season and playoffs partly because of his new teammate. After drawing a double team, Dončić swung the ball to James for an open 3 with 8:34 left in the first quarter.

“Any time you’re able to get a body off of you or eyes off of you, it unlocks a lot for you and for our team,” James said of Dončić. “He attracts so many eyes and so many defenders.”

The latest milestone brought further perspective on James’ longevity during his 22nd season at 40 years old.

Just over two years after eclipsing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, James hasn’t showed many significant signs of slowing down. He won the NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Month honors after leading the Lakers (39-21) to a 9-2 record with stellar scoring (29.3 points), consistent shooting (55.5% from field, 44.3% from 3), productive rebounding (10.5) and timely assists (6.9). For the past month, Lakers coach JJ Redick has argued James deserves consideration for All-NBA First Team Defensive honors for both his effort, rotation and stops before and after the Lakers dealt Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for Dončić.  

Though James has recorded a new milestone plenty of times in recent series, his latest one seemed relatively easier to pull off because of Dončić.  

“With LeBron, it’s big-time of him just to hand over a little bit of the ball control,” Redick said.

“We weren’t having LeBron bring it up a ton. But even in the halfcourt and playing off ball and being comfortable with that, I think is huge.”

Just like with the shot that James made to form the 50K point club, Dončić’s presence led to James having an open look. James posted 34 points on stellar shooting from the field (10-for-18), from 3 (5-for-10) and from the free-throw line (9-for-9) along with eight rebounds and six assists. Dončić finished with similar numbers in points (30), shooting (9-for-19 overall, 6-for-13 from 3, 6-for-11 from foul line), assists (15) and rebounds (eight). In only their ninth game together, James and Dončić have formed instant chemistry without showing any noticeable hiccups.  

“It’s amazing. Watching him do this stuff at this age is just unbelievable,” Dončić  said. “50K points, I can’t even explain how insane that is. He might get to 70K.”  

That might be a stretch considering James may not play much longer beyond his current contract expires after the 2025-26 season. But don’t be surprised if James negotiates a new deal and still plays at a high level. Some of that will have to do with the 26-year-old Dončić making life easier for him.  

This dynamic shouldn’t surprise anyone. Both are generational talents. Both have cemented future Hall-of-Fame nods with stellar scoring and passing. While Dončić often creates looks to score first, James often looks to pass first. Dončić has already thrived with playing with another elite scorer (Kyrie Irving). James has already succeeded with sharing ball-handling duties with another star player (Dwyane Wade). 

Incidentally, James become the first player to score 50,000 career points despite usually showing more satisfaction with elevating a teammate than making a clutch shot. Yet, James hasn’t fully embraced deferring ball-handling duties to others.  

During his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2014-18), James respected Irving’s point-guard instincts. But James still ran the show. James initially embraced the Lakers acquiring Russell Westbrook before the 2021-22 season for his competitiveness and fast pace. But James soon soured on his decision-making and poor shooting. After the 2022 trade deadline, James saw how D'Angelo Russell became the missing piece to jumpstart an offense well enough to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Through Russell’s shooting streaks, however, James eventually lost trust in him, too.  

That hasn’t been the case with Dončić. James and Dončić conjures up comparisons to Magic Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar because they flipped in dynamic. The elder Abdul-Jabbar supported the younger Johnson to become the team’s leader because he still received the majority of the shots. The elder James allowed the younger Dončić to take more shots so he can receive easier looks while still commanding the locker room.  

“In order for us to be the team that we ultimately need to be, the ball needs to be in Luka’s hands,” James said. “Then when Luka sits down, the ball can be in my hands. I’m very comfortable playing off the ball and finding my spots, running the floor and getting outlet passes from Luka.”