Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James scored 42 points against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, becoming the oldest player in NBA history to score 40 points in a game.
NBA icon Michael Jordan, LeBron’s childhood hero, held the record before The King.
“What do I think? That I’m old,” LeBron said after the Lakers beat the Warriors. “That’s what I think. I need a glass of wine and some sleep. That’s the first thing I think about.”
LeBron finished with 42 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists versus the Warriors while shooting 14-of-25 from the field, 6-of-9 from beyond the arc and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line.
LeBron, at 40 years and 38 days old, is about a month older than Jordan was when he scored 43 points on Feb. 21, 2003, for the Washington Wizards at 40 years and 4 days old.
“The biggest thing is we got the win obviously,” LeBron said. “But throughout my journey, anytime I’ve been named or in the category or whatever the case, crossed paths with any of the greats, it’s always humbling. Just to know where I come from. And I love the game so much. So it’s pretty cool.”
LeBron is the oldest player in the NBA. However, he’s still putting up stellar numbers. The future Hall of Famer is averaging 24.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 9.0 assists.
“I think with LeBron, we’ve run out of words and superlatives and descriptions to sort of capture what he’s doing at this stage of his career and at this age,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said. “It continues to be remarkable, it really does. And he really led us tonight.”
The Lakers are 30-19 on the season. They are in fifth place in the Western Conference standings and about to add Luka Doncic and Mark Williams to the lineup.
“I’ve been watching him since he got into this league,” LeBron said of Doncic. “And what he’s capable of doing is special. He’s a super-duper special talent.”
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