By Jeff Arrienda
The 2018 NBA Playoffs version of LeBron James is Thanos and he has all the Infinity Stones. Here’s why.
If you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past two weeks, then you’re missing out on #Greatness. Whether you love him or hate him, you just got to respect and appreciate what LeBron James has been doing in the NBA Playoffs so far. Wait, scratch that, what LeBron James has been doing his entire CAREER.
Just like an evil villain, James has embraced his role and worked his way to become a basketball god. James has become way too powerful for the NBA to stop—similar to that Mad Titan in Avengers: Infinity War.
At this point in time, it’s safe to say that LeBron James IS Thanos. He got the gauntlet now and has collected all six Infinity Stones. Let’s look at his journey, shall we?
The POWER Stone
LeBron James came in to the league already in possession of the Power Stone. His first basket as a pro was a dunk off an alley oop. Heck, even videos of when he was in high school looked like he was playing against a bunch of 5-year-olds.
Now on his 16th season, LeBron is still punching his way through everyone. Not even a Hulk disguised as Draymond Green can stop him.
The SPACE Stone
A few years into the league, LeBron eventually got the Space Stone and used it flawlessly early in his career. With the stone, he was able to utilize what he called a “crab step” and traveled his way to tons of victories.
LeBron’s pivot foot moves from left to right, and no one, not even the NBA rulebook can stop him.
The MIND Stone
It was pretty evident he didn’t have the Mind Stone yet when he made The Decision.
But after a year under the tutelage of the celestial Pat Riley, LeBron was able to finally figure out that he needs to be equally cerebral as he is a physical force to deal with.
It also helped that the Norse god, Dirk Nowitzki, taught him some humility in his first year in Miami—breaking his promise of “not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not seven titles” and made him harness the power of the Mind Stone further.
The TIME Stone
With three Infinity Stones, LeBron was able to capture two NBA titles with the Miami Heat. When he decided to come back to his hometown (sans The Decision), it was evident that LeBron already had the Time Stone in his possession. Now on his 16th season, LeBron James is still dominating the league and has shown no signs of slowing down. He’s getting better, actually. Scary.
The SOUL Stone
The first time he used this stone was during the 2016 NBA Finals. He got the souls of the Golden State Warriors, specifically with one swift move on Andre Iguodala.
We have seen him use this stone over and over again, and more evidently the past few weeks when he consecutively captured the souls of both the Indiana Pacers and the Toronto Raptors.
If you missed the game where he crushed the collective hearts of the Pacers and the Black Panther, Victor Oladipo, then you can skip that and go directly to that scene where he turned the entire city of Toronto into dust. That’s via a flick of his wrist: a game-winning, running floater, fading to the left over a long defender OFF THE BACKBOARD.
The REALITY Stone
LeBron must have all six stones in possession by now, but probably have not figured out how to use the Reality Stone just yet. But in time, he will, as he dominates the league and becomes arguably the best basketball player of all time. The Reality Stone will hit him and his fans where it hurts the most—the painful reality that there will always be a question of whether or not he’s as good as the incumbent GOAT title holder, Michael Jordan.
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