Lakers superstar LeBron James has spent over two decades perfecting his craft and millions of dollars to preserve his body for the grind of an NBA season. For most players, 20+ years of professional-level work is too much to bear, but James always finds something new to motivate himself and bring out the best version of his game.
“I don’t even know at this point. I just love the game”, said James in the postgame interview on Friday. “I love to play the game of basketball. I got an opportunity this summer to be in France and to represent Team USA and that was an amazing opportunity for me and my family being in Paris and bringing home the gold. I just love the game. Obviously, my son over there has given me more inspiration and reason to be out there and just to show him what it takes to be a professional, what it takes day in and day out to try to master and be great. And I still have a little left in the tank so I’ll go until it’s empty I guess.”
For most players, what drives them to play late into their 30s is either a desire for money or a desire to win at the highest level before it’s all said and done. LeBron James has done everything there is to do in the NBA and the case could be made that he’s the most accomplished NBA athlete ever.
The 40-year-old superstar is not only the NBA’s All-Time leading scorer, but he’s also a 4x champion, 4x MVP, 20x All-NBA player, and 20x All-Star. For his career, James is averaging an impressive stat line of 27.1 points, 7.4 assists, and 7.5 rebounds per game on 50.6% shooting.
At this stage, LeBron has nothing left to prove and his legacy as one of the All-Time greats is already secured. With 21 seasons under his belt, LeBron knows that the end is near for his career and he’s been open about discussing his impending retirement.
But even after all this time, LeBron is not done yet and still has plenty of elite games left to play. On the court, James continues to be an All-Star level player with averages of 24.1 points and 8.9 assists on 50.7% shooting. Alongside Anthony Davis, he’s keeping the Lakers in the playoff picture at 20-14 (4th in the West).
Of course, there’s also the Bronny James factor. Now that his dream of playing alongside his son has been realized, James has arguably his biggest reason for staying on the court: passing down his knowledge to Bronny. As LeBron plays through this season, he’ll be working side-by-side with his son to help develop his game and show him the path to success.
Mostly it’s LeBron’s pure love for the game that keeps him going. For pretty much all of his life, LeBron has been devoted to playing basketball and his love and appreciation for the sport are unmatched.
So while James’ career will soon come to a close, there is no set timetable for his final campaign. As long as LeBron is happy and motivated to play, he can help the Lakers achieve some great things in the West.
For now, all that they’re focused on is their next game, which is on Sunday, January 5th, at 7:00 PM EST. After that, the Lakers will play the Dallas Mavericks on January 7th at American Airlines Center at 7:30 PM EST. On January 9th, they’re at home against Charlotte Hornets at 10:30 PM EST.
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