While James' absence comes as a major surprise, his exclusion from this specific milestone doesn’t diminish his career legacy. With over 50,000 combined career points, he remains the NBA’s all-time scoring leader and came within one point of this historic list.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has put together a career that places him on the "GOAT" list to many. At the very least, he's a legitimate contender for the title and the only other name on that list is Michael Jordan.

A bold offseason take suggests the Lakers should prepare for the future by moving on from LeBron James and building around superstar Luka Doncic—before it’s too late.