INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) 鈥� For two solid decades, LeBron James was a main attraction at every NBA All-Star weekend.
He was a 20-year-old starter in his All-Star debut back in 2005, and he became the youngest MVP of the game one year later. Never begging off due to injury or exhaustion while his less-accomplished teammates luxuriated in their breaks from the regular-season grind, James dutifully appeared in every midseason showcase , when his 40-year-old body simply wouldn’t allow him to play.
As it turns out, that weekend in San Francisco wasn’t the end of an era after all.
Now 41, James will be back this weekend for the All-Star Game at Intuit Dome south of central Los Angeles, spending another Sunday in February under the spotlight while extending his records for the most All-Star selections (22) and All-Star appearances (21) in NBA history.
James, the leading scorer in NBA history and in the All-Star Game’s history, clearly doesn’t consider the All-Star Game to be an onerous obligation, even when he’s had to fly all around the country to make his appearances. Yet the Los Angeles Lakers star is also thrilled he’ll be spending this All-Star weekend in his own home, where he can concentrate his spare hours on making the most of the time he has left, both in this season and in his matchless career.
鈥淭rying to figure out how to get some rest,鈥� James said Thursday night when asked about his plans for the weekend. 鈥淥bviously, Sunday will be Sunday. Super grateful for that, to be a part of All-Star weekend and to be a part of the big game. And then (I’ll) try to find some rest.鈥�
James went into the break with a performance that exemplified why his latest All-Star selection wasn’t obeisance to a basketball legend 鈥� even one who has already this season, disqualifying him from .
During over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, James became . He had 28 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for the 123rd triple-double of his career and one of his best performances of the season with the Lakers (33-21).
鈥淗e鈥檚 fighting Father Time as good as anybody ever has,鈥� Lakers teammate Austin Reaves said. “Just the pace he鈥檚 playing with still, the athleticism, obviously the IQ. Yeah, he is still one of the best players in the NBA. (He’s an) All-Star for a reason.鈥�
Lakers coach JJ Redick put it even more succinctly: 鈥淗e鈥檚 got a 23-year prime, basically.鈥�
And as James reiterated after his triple-double, he still firmly believes he could maintain something close to this level of play indefinitely.
His defiance of time and aging has reached unprecedented levels as the only NBA player to suit up for a 23rd season, and he is excelling at a level never reached by a player in his 40s. James has repeatedly said he doesn’t know how much longer he’ll play 鈥� but he doesn’t even qualify it by saying he wants to leave before his skills erode, because he doesn’t think they will.
鈥淐ould I? Yeah, I could. But I don鈥檛 know,鈥� James said when asked if he could continue to play at a high level for years to come.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not (about) my game,鈥� he added. 鈥淢y game is not going anywhere. It鈥檚 just my body. It鈥檚 all the other things. There鈥檚 so many more factors that come with how long will I play the game. I don鈥檛 think my game will ever suffer if I decide to continue to go along, however long that is. I just think it has to be here (pointing at his head). How long can I stay in love with the process? Because that鈥檚 always been my thing. If I can鈥檛 continue to stay in love with the process, if this goes, then my body is going to go. And once my body goes, then it鈥檚 a wrap. And all the fun goes, and all the love and stuff goes. That鈥檚 what it is. It鈥檚 not like my game is deteriorating.鈥�
In his first All-Star Game, James suited up for the Eastern Conference alongside fellow starters Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson to face Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.
When he plays in his 21st All-Star Game , he’ll be playing against many young stars who have never really known the NBA without James in it.
But the generation gap seems meaningless lately, at least when James is healthy. After winning four championships and accomplishing almost everything possible in basketball, James is still playing at an All-Star level because he gets satisfaction from the process 鈥� and gleeful joy from its results.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 always me,鈥� James said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a goofy, 41-year-old kid. I mean, I think people should know that by now, right? That鈥檚 just me. I鈥檓 just goofy. I get to play basketball. Like, they pay me to play basketball. Why wouldn鈥檛 I be happy about that? I get to be with my son and my teammates and all these unbelievable fans. They鈥檝e watched me throughout my career and given me all the support and love, and it鈥檚 like, I enjoy my 鈥� is it even work? I enjoy what I do.鈥�
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