Nearing Age 38, LeBron James Says Top Priority is ‘to Win’
Back in the arena where he played arguably the best basketball of his career, LeBron James was asked to look to the future rather than back into the past and share how much longer he plans to play in the NBA.
“I don’t have a number,” James said Wednesday after the Los Angeles Lakers’ 112-98 loss to his former team, the Miami Heat, when asked how many more seasons he has left. “I know as long as my mind stays in it, I can play at this level for a minute. Now, that’s up to my mind. My body is going to be OK because if my mind is into it, I will make sure my body is taken care of and I’ll continue to put in the work.”
It was another strong night individually for the 20-year veteran, leading the Lakers in points (27), rebounds (9) and assists (6). But L.A. lost for the ninth time in its past 13 games, dropping to 14-21 on the season and placing the Lakers in 13th place out of 15 teams in the Western Conference.
While James said his mental approach will ultimately dictate how much longer beyond the two years, $97 million he has remaining on his contract with the Lakers (with a player option on the second year), that approach is acutely connected to team performance.
Winning, it seems in James’ estimation, is the true fountain of youth.
“I’m a winner and I want to win,” James said. “And I want to win and give myself a chance to win and still compete for championships. That has always been my passion, that has always been my goal since I entered the league as an 18-year-old kid out of Akron, Ohio.
“And I know it takes steps to get there, but once you get there and know how to get there, playing basketball at this level just to be playing basketball is not in my DNA. It’s not in my DNA anymore. So, we’ll see what happens and see how fresh my mind stays over the next couple years.”
James’ time with the Lakers has been the most difficult stretch of any of the three franchises he has played for. In Cleveland, he won Rookie of the Year, two MVPs, made five trips to the NBA Finals and won a championship and the Finals MVP. In Miami, it was two more MVPs, four trips to the Finals, two championships and two Finals MVPs.
As a member of the purple and gold, he did become the first player in league history to win a Finals MVP with three different teams, earning the honor for the Lakers’ win over the Heat in the 2020 Finals in Florida, but he also missed the playoffs twice and experienced the only first-round playoff loss of his career.
The post Nearing Age 38, LeBron James Says Top Priority is ‘to Win’ was originally published on ESPN.
