The Los Angeles Lakers are walking into the All-Star break with a win after defeating the Dallas Mavericks, and it was LeBron James who led the team. James finished the game with a triple-double of 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists, and he became the oldest player in NBA history to record that stat line.
Almost every week, James looks like he has so much left in the tank, and people always want to know when he will really hang up the jersey. For him, it’s more about when he’ll lose his love for the process before he loses his skill, as he thinks both go hand in hand.
“My game is not going anywhere,” James said via Dave McMenamin. “It’s all the other things, it’s so many other factors that come with how long will play the game. I don’t think my game will ever suffer if I decided to continue to go, however long that is. I just think it has to be [my mind]: how long can I stay in love with the process?
“If I can’t continue to stay in love with the process, if [my mind] goes, then my body is going to go. And once my body goes, then it’s a wrap.”
James took some time to come along early in the season after dealing with sciatica, but once he started to get into a groove, he found himself. At this point, it’s hard to tell when he’ll really lose his love for the game, because he still prepares as he did 10 years or 20 years ago.
He may not have the athleticism that he once possessed, but he still knows the game to its core, where he can make things happen for him and his teammates.
This upcoming break will be big for him, and it should keep him fresh for the second half of the season.