LeBron: Near Triple-Double & Age-Defying Lakers Performance

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James needed just one more rebound late in the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over Atlanta to become the oldest NBA player to record a triple-double.

But when the Lakers finally extended their lead into insurmountable territory, the 41-year-old James gladly stopped just short of making history.

After playing in back-to-back games for the first time in his unparalleled 23rd season, James needs every possible minute of rest more than he needs another career superlative. He committed an intentional foul with 3:43 left and headed straight to the bench, being replaced by his 21-year-old son, Bronny.

James finished with 31 points, ten assists and nine rebounds in the Lakers’ 141-116 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. He didn’t record his 123rd triple-double, but this performance proved once again that James can still reach extraordinary heights, even at this late stage of the longest career in league history.

Although he pays for that effort with countless hours of daily recovery off the court.

“Oh I’m sorry”. I feel it right now. I’m ready to go home, eat something, and call it a day. I’m feeling it right now, for sure,” James said with a smile in the Lakers locker room. “

James surprised coach JJ Redick by deciding to play against the Hawks. The Lakers suffered their third straight loss in Sacramento on Monday night, and James had not played in consecutive games since his return from sciatica that delayed his season debut until mid-November.

“His competitive stamina is incredible. We didn’t expect him to be able to play. He just said, ‘I’m going to try. I’m going to try to do everything I can, do my normal routine, and then if I can…’ That’s just the nature of a 41-year-old body that plays a lot of minutes,” Redick said.

James’ gameday routine is incredibly extensive, as he detailed after beating the Hawks.

You wake up at home and go straight into a tub of cold water, followed by a hyperbaric chamber. After a nap, James puts his legs in air compression sleeves designed for recovery while playing the EA Sports PGA Tour video game.

He heads to the Lakers’ downtown stadium, where more work begins: muscle activation, treatments, stretching, weight lifting and a pregame meal while watching Tiger Woods’ simulated indoor golf league.

Although he wasn’t expected to play against Atlanta, James decided to treat Tuesday as a game day to see how his body would react.

“I think I feel pretty good,” James told his coaches.

And then he went out and made history, even if he didn’t get the triple-double. James scored at least 30 points while recording a double-double for the 61st time in a Lakers uniform, surpassing Kobe Bryant’s career total.

Karl Malone remains the oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, doing so at age 40 years and 127 days in November 2003. The next 15 triple-doubles on that list were all achieved by James in the last three years, but he hasn’t done so since February 1 in New York.

A few hours after that historic feat, James was having dinner in Manhattan when he learned that the Lakers had traded Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic.

The Lakers immediately transformed themselves from a floundering contender built around two aging superstars into a younger, more exciting group centered around the Slovenian superstar.

James and Doncic have been in their partnership for almost a year, and they are still learning how to win while minimizing the overlap in their games. They are also currently finding ways to make up for the absence of third-leading scorer Austin Reaves, who is halfway through a month out with a calf injury.

James is playing more off the ball than he has in years, with Doncic usually starting the Lakers’ offense. James also leads the Lakers’ second unit, often to great success, when Doncic takes a break.

James appears to welcome this role, and says his focus on the team has not changed, even as he spends extensive time preparing his body to defy time and wear and tear for another year.

“I would never disrespect the basketball gods when it comes to playing this game, so I put the time, the effort and the commitment into it, mentally, physically and spiritually. Every time I step on the court, if I’m at practice or whatever, I’m trying to set an example for my teammates and the younger generation that’s watching me,” James said.