Netflix’s essential new docuseries Starting 5, which follows the on and off-court lives of five superstar NBA players throughout the 2023/2024 NBA season, focuses on the highs and lows of top-level sport. While it deals heavily with the question of LeBron James’ retirement from the NBA, given that the icon is in his 21st season, Starting 5 also offers several intriguing reveals about three young guns – Anthony Edwards, Domantas Sabonis and Jayson Tatum – and one seasoned pro, Jimmy Butler.
For each, the holy grail is the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the NBA’s championship bauble, which they’ll battle for over an exhausting 82-game season of exhilarating highs and excruciating lows. James has had his hands on the trophy before, but the fledgling stars are seeking out their first NBA championship and are consumed by the prospect of capturing one. Tatum, in episode 10, “Just Be Yourself,” is clear about what is a personal obsession: “I’d cut off one of my fingers to win a championship.”
LeBron James Has Won 4 NBA Championships So Far
The 21-Season Veteran Continues On
LeBron James is at the tail end of a 21-year NBA career that has seen him pick up four championships with three different teams. Drafted way back in 2003 by the Cleveland Cavaliers, he went on to win the title in 2012 (with the Miami Heat), 2013 (Heat again), 2016 (with the Cavaliers), and 2020 (with the LA Lakers). James is the league’s oldest-ever player at 39 and began the 24/25 season as its highest-ever career score, with 40,474 points.
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LeBron James’ Net Worth Explained
Forbes claims in Starting 5 that LeBron James’ net worth is more than $1.2 billion, making him the fifth wealthiest athlete in history.
Often rumored to be on the cusp of retirement, James has signed a new two-year $103 million deal with the Lakers which will see him shooting hoops professionally well into his forties, and has achieved the remarkable feat of playing alongside his son, Bronny James, who was drafted as the Laker’s 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Clearly, he’s going nowhere soon and will be looking for a fifth championship trophy in 2025. James’ stature in the game is already assured, and in Starting 5 it is his legacy the other four are seeking to emulate.
Jayson Tatum Won His First NBA Championship In The 2023-24 Season
Tatum Captures His First NBA Title in Starting 5
Chief among Starting 5‘s rising stars is Jayson Tatum, the Boston Celtic Small Forward. At just 26, Tatum has seven NBA seasons under his belt, an Olympic gold medal, and five All-Star appearances. Tatum’s off-court demeanor is not as boisterous or maverick as that of Edwards or Jimmy Butler, but he’s a killer on the court. After appearing in five of the last seven Eastern Conference Finals with the Celtics Tatum’s quiet determination to go further in 2024 drives Starting 5′s narrative.
“Tatum is the driving force behind the Celtic’s run to the 2024 championship final”
It is Tatum who is the driving force behind the Celtic’s run to the 2024 championship final. Serial winners until 1984, Boston had only managed one win since (2008) and went into the new season hungry for silverware. They faced the Dallas Mavericks, led by the formidable Luka Doncic, in the showpiece event and Tatum shone in taking the trophy with a 3โ1 series win. Tatum’s first NBA championship will almost certainly be followed by more, and, importantly, with all his digits intact.
Ant Edwards, Jimmy Butler, And Domantas Sabonis Have 0 NBA Championships
After a Frustrating 2024, All Three Still Have A Solid Future
Anthony Edwards is the de facto star of Starting 5; at just 22, the Minnesota Timberwolves irrepressible guard brings charisma, marketability, and a sense of humor to everything he does, including a star turn in Adam Sandler’s movie Hustle in 2022. Having led the Wolves to the Conference Finals in three consecutive seasons, he again falls short in 2024, losing out to the Mavericks in the Western Conference final. Undeterred, Edwards does not doubt that the NBA trophy is in his future: “Take your losses like you take your wins, man. Chin up. We’ll be back.”
35-year-old Jimmy Butler, the NBA’s resident eccentric, took his Miami Heat team to the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023 but fell victim to injury in 2024 and was forced to sit the season out. Meanwhile, under-rated Lithuanian-American Domantis Sabonis, of the Sacramento Kings, and over-looked for the 2024 All-Stars in Starting 5 despite leading the NBA with 26 triple-doubles, capped a frustrating season by missing the playoffs. Sabonis led the Kings to the Western Conference First Round in 2023 but hasn’t progressed further.
NBA superstars LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum, Domantas Sabonis, and Anthony Edwards give fans an intimate look at their lives on and off the court. The docuseries follows their 2023-2024 season, capturing not just the intense games but also personal moments with family, showing the balance between professional demands and personal commitments.