The Lakers’ struggles seem to be getting to LeBron James.
Following a 112-98 loss to the Heat on Wednesday night, James appeared frustrated while explaining that he’s not satisfied with the level of basketball the purple and gold are playing at.
“I’m a winner and I want to win,” James said after the Lakers fell to 14-21 on the season. “And I want to win and give myself a chance to win and still compete for championships. That has always been my passion. It’s always been my goal since I entered the league… Once you get there and you know how to get there, playing basketball at this level just to be playing basketball is not in my DNA. It’s not in my DNA anymore, so we’ll see what happens and how fresh my mind stays over the next couple of years.”
After Wednesday’s defeat in Miami, the Lakers have now lost five of their past six games. It’s the second-worst record for any of James’ teams through 35 games, according to ESPN.
“I think about how much longer I’m going to play the game,” said James, who turns 38 on Friday. “I don’t want to finish my career playing at this level, from a team aspect. I still want to compete for championships because I know what I can still bring to any ball club with the right pieces. I think about my son [Bronny James] graduating high school soon and going off to college and I’m still playing with my youngest son [Bryce James] will be a junior next year and how much more time I miss.
“So throughout the course of a day, to the weeks, to the months I think about a little of everything… At the end of the day, I keep the main thing, the main thing and everyday when it’s time for us to work I lock in… so a lot of thoughts. But for the most part, it’s been a good ride so far.”
James, playing on the second night of a back-to-back, led the Lakers with 27 points, in addition to nine rebounds and six assists against the Heat.
Miami ran away with the game as the Lakers racked up turnovers and failed to score in the final four minutes of play at FTX Arena. The Lakers were also without big man Anthony Davis, who is sidelined indefinitely with a stress injury in his foot.
James was also asked about a recent interview with his teammate, Dennis Schroeder, who said last week that James told him he’d like to play for seven more years until he’s 45.
“I don’t have a number,” James said. “I know as long as my mind stays in it, I can play at this level for a minute. It’s up to my mind. My body is going to be ok because if my mind is into it I’ll make sure my body’s taken care off and I’ll continue to put in the work.”
In his 20th year, James is averaging 27.8 points per game, which ranks ninth in the league. His 35.8 minutes per game ranks 19th.
However, those numbers appear meaningless to James if he isn’t winning. The 37-year-old is playing in one of his most challenging seasons yet due to the roster around him. As a Laker, James missed the playoffs twice and experienced the only first-round playoff loss of his career.
In April, James tweeted: “I can/will NOT miss the post season again for my career! This sh-t HURT. Ok back to watching these games.”
That came after the Lakers were eliminated from playoff contention in a loss to the Suns — just two years removed from winning the 2020 NBA Finals against the Heat in the bubble. That was James’ fourth NBA championship, after claiming two with the Heat and one with the Cavaliers.
James has two years and $97 million remaining on his contract with the Lakers that he signed in August.
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