LeBron James of old shows up in Lakers’ win ahead of NBA All-Star Weekend

There were signs this was coming for LeBron James. 

As he warmed up Thursday, he danced. He waved his arms as he moved up and down. He stuck out his tongue. He grinned widely. 

He tossed the ball so high into the air that Rui Hachimura could walk under it immediately after it bounced. Then he caught the ball before it hit the ground again, as the entire team bent its knees in unison with his. 

He was loose. He was joyful. He was him. 

James tapped back into his je ne sais quoi after it was drained from him in an exhausting loss to the league-best Thunder on Monday. 

A few days later, the 41-year-old had reset, transforming back into the version of himself that’s untouchable by Father Time. 

James scored or assisted on the first 23 points in the Lakers’ 124-104 win over the Mavericks, his longest such stretch to begin a game in his career, per ESPN Research. By halftime, he had 18 points and eight rebounds. He finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists, becoming the oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double. 

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“He’s got a 23-year prime, basically,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

James received a standing ovation at Crypto.com Arena after setting the triple-double record by grabbing his 10th rebound with 2:05 left. He surpassed Karl Malone, who had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists at 40 years and 127 days old in 2003. (James was 41 years and 44 days old when he set the record.)

“Any given night, if I need to turn it on, I can turn it on,” James said.

Boy, did the Lakers need this. They had lost two games in a row heading into Thursday’s contest. After Monday’s loss to the Thunder and their swarming defense, James looked as though he had survived a battle. “I’m just tired as f—,” he said. “Sorry if I sound irritated, but I’m 41.”

On Thursday, being 41 had a completely different meaning. It wasn’t old, it was remarkable. It wasn’t a disability, it was a revelation. 

As for where his joy came from, James said it never left.

“That’s always me,” he said. “I’m a goofy-ass 41-year-old kid. I think people should know that by now, right? That’s just me. 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. Have fun. You see me on the court, see me in the back. I just love what I do. It’s pretty cool.”

James, who’s the first player in NBA history to reach his 23rd season, has long maintained that he’s going to play as long as he’s aligned physically, mentally and emotionally.

He acknowledged that after missing the first 14 games of the season because of sciatica, he questioned whether he could return to the superstar level he has maintained his entire career. He wasn’t able to participate in the preseason. He couldn’t do his typical training over the summer. 

“Doubt creeps into your mind to see if you can get back to form and get back to making an impact,” he said.

But James, who finished sixth in MVP voting last season, clearly is still capable of being the best player in the league on any given night.

James said last season that he could play at this level for another five seasons if he chooses. When asked if he still feels that way now, he didn’t hesitate. “Could I?” James asked. “Yeah, I could. … I just think it has to be here (points to his 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 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 is deteriorating. Obviously, there’s things I could have did when I was 25 compared to 35, and 35 to 41 or 21 to 31 or 41. But I have so much knowledge of the game that I know how to still continue to make an impact even if I’m not a 45, 43, 41 vertical. I can still do so many things on the floor.”

James is very much still James. On Thursday, he made 3s over defenders’ outstretched arms, he threw no-look passes, he overpowered everyone in his path down low. 

He had his fingerprints over every play for the first seven minutes of the game. He’s still incredibly dominant. The best when he wants to be. 

What has changed is he’s now questioning whether he wants to keep doing this. 

When he has to deal with drama surrounding his relationship with Jeanie Buss or the Lakers’ holes are exposed against a much younger and more athletic Thunder team, you have to wonder if he’s leaning toward retiring. 

But then there are nights when he oozes joy, when he has his first triple-double in over a year and he makes NBA history, and you have to wonder how he could ever walk away from this. 

For now, all we really know is what he’s doing is unprecedented. 

And we’d be remiss to take any of it for granted.