LeBron James has long been the target of jokes centered around his hairline, and they’ve only picked up in recent years as his hair has begun to thin. (Even Richard Jefferson once roasted him over it.) However, fans won’t be able to take those humorous jabs at him moving forward. That’s right, James has officially (and finally) gone bald and, in doing so, he follows in the footsteps of NBA GOATS like Michael Jordan. Of course, in the aftermath of the reveal, a number of people took to the Internet to share thoughts on the athlete’s new look.
The Los Angeles Laker took to his Instagram story this week to share a photo that shows him sporting a shaved head. The snapshot, in which the 37-year-old athlete can be seen smiling, also featured several laughing emojis and one of an old man. It didn’t take long for social media to take notice, and one Twitter seems to be overwhelmed knowing that the star has finally accepted his destiny by getting the cut:
After all these years LeBron finally accepted he’s meant to be bald 😭 pic.twitter.com/NHZO910j9SSeptember 20, 2022
Seeing the photo for the first time is a bit jarring, but the bald look honestly suits LeBron James. One aspect of this change that many seem to be putting emphasis on is the fact that James now becomes yet another one of the league’s great players not to have hair. Basketball fans have long discussed the number of great players who shaved their heads over the course of their careers. In the tweet below, you can see some of the others who sported the baldy:
All GOATs are bald. The rules are the rules. pic.twitter.com/4vdqp9Zjj2September 20, 2022
Legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal are among the most notable hall of famers to have shaved their heads, the person who probably comes to mind first for most people is Michael Jordan. The Chicago Bulls icon’s pristine head is one of his signature features, so much so that some may not even remember that he had hair during his early years in the league. One might wonder how the jovial Jordan might respond to his Space Jam counterpart’s head, and NBA Memes spoofed using a reaction The Last Dance:
Jokes aside though, many have argued that – like Michael Jordan – once someone cuts their hair, they reach a new statistical plateau in their playing careers. There’s no proven correlation between baldness, mind you, but many stars have indeed reached new heights after getting their heads shaved. With that, one user jokingly made a prediction:
Bald Head Lebron? Yea he’s averaging 32 this coming season 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/S561dZHUooSeptember 20, 2022
The odds of the basketball great performing such a feat are pretty slim but, based on history, I wouldn’t scoff at the idea of him ramping things up on the court this season. It’s true that the Trainwreck alum decided to go bald later than some of his predecessors, but he’s proven that he still has plenty of fuel in the tank.
Check out LeBron James in action when the NBA season kicks off with his Lakers taking on the Golden State Warriors on October 18. In the meantime, you can see James when he appears on the documentary series Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakerswhich can be accessed with a Hulu subscription. He’ll also appear on The Redeem Teamand that can be streamed on October 7 using a Netflix subscription.