"No not really": LeBron James shrugs off tiredness after 47 minutes and grabs career high in rebounds
LA Lakers superstar LeBron James continued to impress at the age 39, playing 47 minutes in their double-overtime victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday while grabbing a career-high 20 rebounds.
‘The King’ was on top of things right from the get-go of their rivalry game against the Warriors on their way to their narrow 145-144 victory. He finished with a triple-double of 36 points, 20 rebounds, and 12 assists.
Asked following the game how his body felt after his yeoman-like performance against Golden State despite his age, LeBron James shared that it all boiled down to just competing.
The four-time NBA champion said:
“No not really. My body is a little worked out… I don’t feel like [I’m the oldest player in the league]. I go out and compete. The young guys in our team make me young. Competing against guys like Kuminga make me young.”
LeBron James’ stellar performance was backstopped by the 29-point, 13-rebound effort of Anthony Davis. D’Angelo Russell, too, continued with his improved play of late with 28 points.
The Lakers improved to 24-23 for the season, with their next game on the road on Monday against the Houston Rockets.
LeBron James makes history with his performance against Warriors
LeBron James was spectacular in their 145-144 double-overtime victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. And while at it, he made history as the oldest player in league annals to record a 30-point triple-double.
‘The King’ finished with 36 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists in their huge victory over Golden State at the age of 39, breaking the previous record he set back in March 2022 against his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he tallied 38 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds at the age of 37 and 81 days.
James’ impressive showing was a continuation of his steady dominance this season despite being the oldest player in the league.
He has shown no signs of slowing down, currently averaging 24.8 points, 7.5 assists, 7.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals.
This season, he also led the LA Lakers to win the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament.
James capped off his impressive performance against the Warriors by scoring 12 points in the two overtime periods, the last two on the free-throw line with 1.2 seconds to go in the second OT, to bring home the win.
The triple-double was the third for the 20-time NBA All-Star this season and the 110th in his storied career.
James, incidentally, was named captain of the Western Conference team in this year’s NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis.