LOS ANGELES — LeBron James’ eyes darted to the front of the rim late in the fourth quarter. And as Tyus Jones’ jumper bounced off the orange cylinder, James shot himself into the air, jumping past Jaxson Hayes to grab the rebound while the crowd roared.
It was his 10th rebound of the game to go with 28 points and 12 assists, making him the oldest player in NBA history to have a triple-double.
“I’ve never been sorry at basketball. So, yeah, I’ve been good ever since I started playing,” James said after. “I just try to keep it going. …But yeah, any given night, if I need to turn it on, I can turn it on.”
James passed the record previously owned by Karl Malone, who had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a game for the Lakers when he was 40 years and 127 days old. James’ triple-double Thursday came 44 days after his 41st birthday.
Malone, though, at that stage of his career, had seen his productivity take a severe drop. James, in year 23, is heading to the NBA All-Star Game this weekend.
“I don’t take for granted how good he is. I recognize that on a daily basis,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I think it goes back to what I’ve said on on numerous occasions. The more remarkable thing is how much he cares in his 23rd year with all his accomplishments. So it’s not it’s not the next… like he’s going to get another ‘oldest player to do X, Y, or Z.’ He’s going to get another one of that, he’s going to further cement his scoring record. Like he’s going to do all those things. It’s really just the the day-to-day professionalism and and care factor that that he exhibits that is the most remarkable thing.
“He’s, like I said the other day, he’s got a 23-year prime basically.”
Playing against the Mavericks, who were without rookie Cooper Flagg, James opened the game by hitting a pair of threes, Hayes putting an imaginary crown on James’ head. James either scored or assisted the Lakers’ first 23 points.
He pushed the Lakers to a big fourth-quarter lead before corralling that final rebound and exiting to a standing ovation.
“I think what it represents is pretty cool,” James said of triple-doubles. “The fact that you can go out and be able to have an impact in three facets of the game. Rebounding, the assists obviously is what I love the most. Being able to get my guys involved throughout my career — I’ve always loved that more than anything. And being able to put the ball in the basket, obviously, that’s part of this game as well. To be able to score the ball. I think what it means to be able to have your hand in three facets of the game, making an impact on those three—that’s pretty cool.”
James is an unrestricted free agent after the season and hasn’t said whether or not he continues to play or where he’ll play if he extends his career to a 24th season — or beyond.
Either way, he believes that he’s good enough now, and in the future, to keep going as long as his mind remains determined.
“I could. But I don’t know. It’s not like my game… my game is not going anywhere. It’s just my body. It’s so many more factors that come with how long will I play the game. I don’t think my game will ever suffer if I decided to continue to go, however long that is. I just think it has to be here (points to mind): how long can I stay in love with the process?” James said. “Because that’s always been my thing. If I can’t continue to stay in love with the process, then if this goes, then my body’s gonna go. And once my body goes then it’s a wrap. Then the love goes, and then the fun and all that stuff goes. So that’s what it is.
“It’s not my game (that) is deteriorating.”