LeBron James shocked to find out he’s older than NBA head coach: “That’s crazy”
At age 38, turning 39 next month, LeBron James is still playing, and it looks like he's still at the peak of his already legendary career. On Tuesday night, though, he and the LA Lakers took on the Utah Jazz, whose coach, Will Hardy, is three years his junior.
Speaking to reporters, including Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina, LeBron James was surprised that he played against a team whose gaffer is just 35 years young.
James said:
"I'm older than him? Wow! Oh my goodness! I'm not even mad. That's a good one. You got me on that one. That's crazy."
LeBron James stresses importance of homecourt edge in NBA In-Season Tournament Playoffs
Turning serious, though, LeBron James said that having homecourt advantage in the NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinals is a huge bonus for the LA Lakers.
The Lakers ruled West Group A of the NBA In-Season Tournament, drubbing the Utah Jazz 131-99 on Tuesday night at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
That means the Lakers will host their next tournament game, which will be the quarterfinals. James said:
"It is what it is. We're in the tournament. It's always great to be able to be victorious and have another way to have another home game. That was great. We were able to take care of business that way."
LeBron James still not comprehending new career milestone
If there's one thing probably crazier than the fact that LeBron James is still playing and someone younger than him like Will Hardy has already gone into NBA head coaching, it's that James entered the 39,000 points club.
He broke the 39,000-point barrier early into the Jazz-Lakers game. Considering his career average of 26.4 points per game, he could be on track to tally his 40,000th point later this season.
However, James said after the game that he could not understand what he just set:
“I got congratulated by my teammates and coaches, (but) I haven't had an opportunity to really wrap my head around what that means. There's been so many great players that came across this league since the beginning of time, and so many great scorers.
"To be able to accomplish something that's the first of anything, I think that's always pretty cool. It's a wild moment, that's for sure.”
With the game already a foregone conclusion by the third quarter, James sat out the fourth quarter, ending up with 17 points, seven rebounds and nine assists.