Dec. 11 (UPI) — Even at 40-years-old, LeBron James continues to show glimpses of his prime. His latest exploit? A rabid one-handed slam over a 7-foot-1 center during the NBA Cup.

The 23-year veteran went aerial in the second quarter of the 132-119 NBA Cup quarterfinal loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday in Inglewood, Calif. His slam triggered a bench-emptying celebration and a decibel shift inside the Los Angeles Lakers‘ Crypto.com Arena.

James’ Lakers trailed 66-56 with about a minute left in the first half at the start of the sequence. He first faced Spurs guard/forward Devin Vassell. James performed a crossover dribble and used his right arm to create separation. He dribbled into the paint, picked up his dribble and jumped toward the rim.

Spurs center Luke Kornet jumped straight up with both arms high over his head. James put his left arm on Kornet while using his right to slam the ball through the rim.

He then let out an emphatic scream in celebration of the slam. James’ dunk cut the deficit to eight, but the Spurs scored the final four points of the frame to carry a 70-58 lead into the break.

“It was just a play,” James told reporters, when asked about his dunk. “You always hope that momentum plays will carry over.”

The Spurs proceeded to outscore the Lakers 34-29 in the third quarter. James’ Lakers cut the deficit to eight in the fourth quarter and outscored the Spurs 32-28 over the final 12 minutes, but couldn’t complete a comeback.

James made 7 of 14 shots, but was 0 for 3 from 3-point range, en route to 19 points. He also recorded 15 rebounds and eight assists. Lakers guard Luke Doncic logged a game-high 35 points in the loss.

Second-year guard Stephon Castle scored 30 points and totaled 10 rebounds for the Spurs. Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox chipped in 20 points.

The Spurs (17-7) will face the Oklahoma City Thunder (24-1) in an NBA Cup semifinal at 9 p.m. EST Saturday in Las Vegas. The Lakers (17-7) will battle the Phoenix Suns (14-11) at 8 p.m. Sunday in Phoenix.

LeBron James when he was a high school senior playing basketball at the James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio, on February 14, 2003. James signed his first NBA contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers that same year. Photo by Tom Cammett/UPI | License Photo