LeBron’s last dance? Filmmakers from the iconic Michael Jordan series follow James, 38, and the Lakers this season, spending ‘a lot of time’ with ‘The King’
- LeBron James prepares for the Western Conference Finals against Denver Nuggets
- This season, he became the all-time leading scorer in NBA history
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In the weeks to come, LeBron James’ place in basketball history will once again be discussed as the Lakers star aims for a fifth NBA title. But off the field, “The King” is already building a legacy to rival that of Michael Jordan.
Lakers radio analyst John Ireland has made the fascinating revelation that the filmmakers of The Last Dance – the iconic series about Jordan’s sixth and final Chicago Bulls title – have teamed up with James this season.
“I hope I’m not talking about school here, Andy Thompson, the guy who recorded The Last Dance, the younger brother of Mychal Thompson, who worked for the NBA for 30 years, spent a lot of time with us this year,” said Ireland on the Terrible podcast announcementT.
“So if LeBron ever wanted to go down this road, I think Andy is stocking up on that so he has it and a chance to tell the story.
LeBron James could have a ‘Last Dance’ style series made about his current Lakers season
James, 38, is battling with the Lakers for what would be his fifth career NBA title
“If we magically go to the title, Andy, who was the driving force behind The Last Dance, most of what you saw in those 10 episodes was filmed by Andy Thompson.
“And Andy is a smart kid, he may already be working on an end of LeBron’s run story like he had one before the end of Jordan’s run.”
The Lakers are preparing for the Western Conference Finals against Denver Nuggets — game one is Tuesday night — but despite their current success, the regular season has been far from impressive for the team.
They finished seventh in the Western Conference and at times even looked doubtful of making the playoffs. But it’s still a season that would make for a gripping viewing experience, especially given the subplots surrounding James.
In February, he became the leading point scorer in NBA history by scoring 38 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It took him 36 to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s total of 38,387.
The game was stopped for 10 minutes to celebrate James’ performance and came at a time when the 38-year-old was struggling with an ankle problem.
In the playoffs, James was targeted by Dillon Brooks during the Memphis Grizzlies, with Brooks calling James “old” and being ejected in Game 2 for hitting him in the groin.
But the Lakers won the series in six games and set up a showdown with Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
James became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in February this season
Jordan won six NBA titles and his last with the Bulls has since made an iconic TV series
The Lakers also won that in six, with attention now turned to the Nuggets and Luka Jokic.
One caveat to this season’s footage is that James isn’t likely to retire at the end of it, regardless of the Lakers’ success. He has previously underlined a desire to play in the NBA with his son Bronny, 18.
Ireland also said Thompson was filming Kobe Bryant in the years before his death, but is unsure what will happen to that footage.
“The good news is, if you’re a basketball fan, all these images exist,” Ireland said. “Whether it ever gets out and they know what to do with it is another story.”