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Going up against the Miami Heat in the second game of a road-to-back is never a fun time for any team, but Wednesday night’s experience was particularly rough for the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers turned the ball more than 26 times to lose 112-98, their fifth loss in their last six games.
LeBron James had six of those turnovers, but otherwise did the best he could, posting 27-of-10-of-18 field goals, nine rebounds and six assists. But without Anthony Davis, the Lakers just don’t have enough talent and he’s down 14-21 over the course of the season.
There are now three games left in the play-in tournament quota, setting the reality that the Lakers could miss the playoffs for the third time in five seasons since James arrived in Los Angeles in 2018. Two days later, on his December 30th, James was asked about the big picture about his recent mental state and how long he would like to play.
In an uncharacteristic response that suggested the whole Lakers situation had drained some of his enthusiasm, he said he no longer wanted to play basketball just to play.
“No number [of years I can keep playing]’ said James. It’s up to my heart. my body is fine If my mind is obsessed with it, I make sure my body is taken care of and keep working.
“I am a winner and I want to win. I want to win, I want to give myself a chance to win and I want to fight for a championship. It was my passion and my goal, and I’m from Akron, Ohio, and I know it takes steps to get there. It’s not in my DNA anymore It’s not in my DNA anymore We’ll see what happens and see how fresh my mind stays for the next few years.”
Lakers point guard Dennis Schroeder said in an interview earlier this month that James wants to play until he’s 45. “He’s 38 now and he says he’s 45.”
A widely held belief in the league is that James wants to play with his eldest son, Bronnie, and that he needs to play until he’s at least 40. Bronnie James is a senior in high school and is expected to be drafted into the league through the 2024 NBA, but there is still much to be determined about his NBA prospects.
James is no longer the undisputed top player in the league, but he’s still one of the top players in his 20th season. Through 27 games, he’s averaging 27.8 points, 8 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game with his 49.7% field goal percentage. He will be in his 19th All-Star Game in a few months and has a good chance of making his 19th All-NBA appearance if he keeps fit.
However, while James’ longevity is something special, everyone’s career must come to an end at some point, and that fact is on his mind.
“I’m thinking about how many more games I’m going to play,” James said. “I think from a team point of view, I don’t want to end my career playing at this level. I know my son is about to graduate from high school and go to college, but I’m still playing and my youngest will be a junior next year, so how much more? You will be wasting your time.
“During the days, weeks, months, I think about everything a little bit. Think about how much the world will look like when you’re done playing the game. But at the end Keep the main of the day main and when it’s time to work lock in. When you have a chance to take time off, still locked in but give yourself.watch other teams or show Seeing things and spending time with my family can take some of the strain out of it.
James agreed to a two-year, $97.1 million extension with the Lakers this offseason, including a player option for the 2024-25 season. That extension put him on the same timeline as Davis, who has the ability to opt out in the summer of 2024. Given the issues, the team’s disappointing performance, and James’ latest comments, It’s natural to wonder if they’ll last that long.
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