The NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament has provided an ideal platform for LeBron James — weeks shy of his 39th birthday — to prove that he’s still in his prime.
With dramatic theater lighting setting the atmosphere for the tourney’s semifinals at T-Mobile Arena, James put on a show in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 133-89 win Thursday over the New Orleans Pelicans.
James poured in 30 points and added eight assists and five rebounds to earn the Lakers a date with the Indiana Pacers, who beat the Milwaukee Bucks earlier in the day, in Saturday’s championship game.
And to think, heading into this past offseason, James thought about walking away from the game and the competition, where he clearly still thrives.
“If you decide to retire, or whatever the case may be, you’re not a part of it anymore, so it wouldn’t be me leaving it on the table because I would have never had the table set,” James told ESPN.
“But I’m happy that I’m here; this is a pretty cool moment, and let’s see if we can capitalize on it. It’s been good. It’s been dope.”
The Lakers star, in his 21st season, has been so good for so long that performances like he had against the Pelicans, when he made 9 of 12 shots (including 4-for-4 from 3), committed zero turnovers and registered a plus-minus of plus-36 in the 23 minutes he played, sometimes seem ordinary for him.
Now James and the Lakers have a shot at another championship this weekend.
“We’ve got to finish our breakfast on Saturday,” James said, referencing a Jay-Z lyric that describes completing a task. “That’s the most important thing.”
And then L.A. can resume its pursuit of the NBA championship in June.
“We are just trying to build a rhythm and be the best team we can be and put our best foot forward on a daily basis,” Ham said. “The tournament just happens to align with what we got going on in general.”