On Wednesday evening, the Los Angeles Lakers lost 112-98 to the Miami Heat in Florida.
Four-time NBA Champion LeBron James played 34 minutes and had 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists on 10/18 shooting from the field.
After the loss, James was asked by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin about how much longer he thinks he will play in the NBA (Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register shared the full quote).
“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. Now, that’s up to my mind. My body is going to be ok because if my mind is into it, I will make sure my body is taken care of, and I’ll continue to put in the work. So, I’m a winner, and I want to win. And I want to win and give myself a chance to win and still compete for championships. That has always been my passion, that has always been my goal since I entered the league as an 18-year-old kid out of Akron, Ohio. And I know it takes steps to get there, but 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 see how fresh my mind stays over the next couple of years.”
James will turn 38 on December 30, and he is in his 20th season in the NBA (fifth with the Lakers).
In 2020, he led the Lakers to the NBA Championship, but they have also missed the NBA Playoffs in two out of the last four seasons.
With the loss to the Heat, they are now 14-21 in 35 games, which has them as the 13th seed in the Western Conference.
Therefore, they are in jeopardy of missing the postseason for the second straight year and in three out of the last five seasons.
Over the offseason, James agreed to an extension with the Lakersso he is under contract for next season and has a player option for the 2024-25 season.
In addition to the Lakers, James has also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice) and the Miami Heat.
He won the first two NBA Championships of his career with the Heat and his third with the Cavs.
The four-time MVP is currently averaging 27.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.1 steals per contest in 27 games.
On Friday night, the Lakers will play their next game when they face off with the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena in Georgia.
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