In honor of LeBron James’ 31st birthday, here are some notes about the historical nature of his career.
**LeBron has finished in the top-5 in MVP voting 10 years in a row. The only other players to do that are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12) and Bill Russell (10).
**He is 1 of 4 players to have won MVPs with multiple teams, joining Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Moses Malone. LeBron won 2 MVPs with the Cavaliers and 2 with the Heat.
**LeBron’s career efficiency in the regular season is highest among active players, and second among all players to Michael Jordan. He is just percentage points behind Jordan for the all-time mark, while the two are more than 4% clear of the rest of the field.
**LeBron is well on his way to scoring 20 points per game for the 13th time. That’s every season he’s been in the league! The only other players to score at least 20 points per game in 13 NBA seasons are Abdul-Jabbar (17), Karl Malone (17) and Dirk Nowitzki (13).
**LeBron’s assist percentage is the highest in NBA history among forwards. He has assisted at a rate 31% higher than any other forward in league history.
Peter Newmann is an analyst and writer who spent 10 years at ESPN, 8 as the NBA senior researcher working 24/7 on the league. He wrote game notes for crews, articles for ESPN.com, analysis for studio shows, and regularly assisted reporters and writers. Follow him on Twitter, and check out his Web site, www.allball365.com.