In his 22nd season in the NBA, LeBron James continues to amaze everyone by playing at an incredibly high level. So far this season, through the first 10 games, he is averaging 23.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.9 assists while shooting a career-best 44.4% from three-point range.
He has also recorded three triple-doubles, and at times, his speed and athleticism look as good as they did when he was 10 years younger. It’s hard to believe that LeBron could keep playing at this level for another five seasons if he wanted to.
While James admits that it still hasn’t fully sunk in what he’s achieving at his age, he made it clear that he doesn’t want to keep playing basketball just for the sake of it, especially when he’s no longer at his best.
“No. I haven’t,” LeBron said when asked if he’s amazed by his own performance at his age. “Pretty cool that with the amount of miles I put on the tires, lack of tread on these tires, and I’m still able to get up and down the highway and do it at a high level.
I just try to give everything to the game outside of the game before the game even starts if that makes sense. I arrived here four or five hours before the game, and I’m already starting to do all the things to put me in position to be the best I can be when the fans are in here and the ball is tipped and everybody’s going crazy.”
“I’ve been blessed by the man above with some out-of-this-world ability from the beginning, and then I just took full advantage of it, and I wasn’t gonna disrespect what he’s given me and see how long I can, how long I can do it. But I won’t do it until the wheels fall off. I tell you that. I won’t do that, I won’t be one of those guys.”
Although LeBron didn’t explicitly say it, his mindset mirrors the “Mamba Mentality” of fellow Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. LeBron recognizes his natural gifts, but like Kobe, he is dedicated to making the most of them.
LeBron’s statement that he won’t play “until the wheels fall off” suggests that he doesn’t want to stay in the game too long, even if he could continue performing at a high level. It means fans should truly appreciate his greatness while they still have the chance.
LeBron’s impact on his teammates is also evident, as Lakers center Jaxson Hayes shared how much easier the game becomes for him when playing alongside LeBron.
“He makes the game so easy,” Hayes said. “We’ll be in a timeout and he’ll tell me where to go and then next thing you know, we come out of the timeout and he gets me a dropoff dunk. So he just knows the game so well and you know he’s gonna pass and find you if he has two or three guys on him.”
