At 41, LeBron James continues to rewrite the NBA record book, delivering a vintage triple-double performance and proving age is just a number on the court. He's now the oldest player to ever record a triple dobule
LeBron James has made a lot of history during his 23-year NBA career. Apparently, he's not done yet, either.
The 41-year-old Los Angeles Lakers forward posted a triple double on Thursday night, scoring 28 points with 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 124-104 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
At 41 years and 44 days, he became the oldest NBA player to post a triple-double. He passed Karl Malone (40 years, 127 days) for the record. This was his first triple-double of the season and the 123rd of this career, good for No. 5 all-time.
"I'm more appreciative of moments like this in my career, understanding where I'm at," said James, who received a loud ovation from the Crypto.com Arena crowd in Los Angeles when he grabbed his 10th rebound with 2:05 remaining to secure the record. "I'm at the later stage of my journey, so definitely taking it in a little bit more."
James, who has missed 18 games this season, picked up the slack on Thursday with star Luka Doncic out. Even at 41, he feels like he can still have big games like this.
"My game is not going anywhere," James said. "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 [my mind]: How long can I stay in love with the process?
"Because that's always been my thing. If I can't continue to stay in love with the process, then if [my mental commitment] goes, then my body's going to 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 is deteriorating."
James is playing in this weekend's NBA All-Star Game and the Lakers get back in action on Friday, Feb. 20 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
"I'm a goofy-ass 41-year-old kid," James said. "I get to play basketball. They pay me to play basketball. Why wouldn't I be happy? I get to be with my son and my teammates and all these unbelievable fans that watched me throughout my career, and they give me all the support and love. I enjoy what I do. ... I just love what I do. It's pretty cool."