Monday\u2019s loss to the Thunder<\/a> and their swarming defense, James looked as though he had survived a battle. \u201cI\u2019m just tired as f\u2014,\u201d he said. \u201cSorry if I sound irritated, but I\u2019m 41.\u201d<\/p>\nOn Thursday, being 41 had a completely different meaning.\u00a0It wasn\u2019t old, it was remarkable. It wasn\u2019t a disability, it was a revelation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As for where his joy came from, James said it never left.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThat\u2019s always me,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m a goofy-ass 41-year-old kid.\u00a0I think people should know that by now, right? That\u2019s just me. I get to play basketball. They pay me to play basketball. Why wouldn\u2019t I be happy? I get to be with my son and my teammates and all these unbelievable fans that watched me throughout my career, and they give me all the support and love. I enjoy what I do. Have fun. You see me on the court, see me in the back. I just love what I do. It\u2019s pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
James, who\u2019s the first player in NBA history to reach his 23rd season, has long maintained that he\u2019s going to play as long as he\u2019s aligned physically, mentally and emotionally.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged\u00a0that after missing the first 14 games of the season because of sciatica, he questioned whether he could return to the superstar level he has maintained his entire career. He wasn\u2019t able to participate in the preseason. He couldn\u2019t do his typical training over the summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lakers star LeBron James shoots against the Mavericks. AP<\/p>\n
\u201cDoubt creeps into your mind to see if you can get back to form and get back to making an impact,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But James, who finished sixth in MVP voting last season, clearly is still capable of being the best player in the league on any given night.<\/p>\n
James said last season that he\u00a0could play at this level for another five seasons if he chooses.\u00a0When asked if he still feels that way now, he didn\u2019t hesitate. \u201cCould I?\u201d James asked. \u201cYeah, I could.\u00a0\u2026 I just think it has to be here (points to his mind). How long can I stay in love with the process? Because that\u2019s always been my thing. If I can\u2019t continue to stay in love with the process, then if this goes, then my body\u2019s gonna go. And once my body goes, then it\u2019s a wrap.\u00a0Then the love goes, and then the fun and all that stuff goes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, that\u2019s what it is. It\u2019s\u00a0not my game\u00a0is deteriorating. Obviously, there\u2019s things I could have\u00a0did\u00a0when I was 25 compared to 35, and 35 to 41 or 21 to 31 or 41. But I have so much knowledge of the game that I know how to still continue to make an impact even if I\u2019m not a 45, 43, 41 vertical. I can still do so many things on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n
James is very much still James. On Thursday, he made 3s over defenders\u2019 outstretched arms, he threw no-look passes, he overpowered everyone in his path down low.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had his fingerprints over every play for the first seven minutes of the game. He\u2019s still incredibly dominant. The best when he wants to be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What has changed is he\u2019s now questioning whether he wants to keep doing this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he has to deal with drama surrounding his relationship with Jeanie Buss or the Lakers\u2019 holes are exposed against\u00a0a\u00a0much younger and more athletic\u00a0Thunder team, you have to wonder if he\u2019s leaning toward retiring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But then there are nights when he oozes joy, when he has\u00a0his first triple-double in over a year and he makes NBA history, and you have to wonder how he could ever walk away from this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For now, all we really know is what he\u2019s doing is unprecedented.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And we\u2019d be remiss to take any of it for granted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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