MIAMI, Jan. 2 — Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James remains “obsessed” with basketball as he approaches his 38th birthday, but the four-time NBA champion wants to be a title contender on Wednesday. made it clear.
James, who turns 38 on Friday, turned his career around after the Lakers lost to the Miami Heat.
With superstar Anthony Davis sidelined by injury, the Lakers have lost five of their last six games and are now 14-21 this season.
Not exactly what James, who averages nearly 30 points per game, would like.
“I’m a winner. I want to win and I want to give myself the chance to win,” James said. “It’s always been a passion of mine and a goal of mine ever since I entered the league as his 18-year-old kid from Akron, Ohio.
I know it takes steps to get there, but once you get there and know how to get there, playing basketball at this level just for the sake of playing basketball is in my DNA. No. It’s not in my DNA anymore. ”
The Lakers are struggling to reach the playoffs, but James is still averaging nearly 30 points per game and will likely overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the league’s all-time leading scorer in early February. .
“If you look at the history of the game, it doesn’t look like a lot of people have played at this level and gone this long and this long and have it on their resume,” he said.
“At the same time, I’m very humbled to be able to play the game I love at this level and be the center of the enemy team.”
The championship is still the goal, however, and James suggested the Lakers’ troubles may have provided a glimpse into how life after the NBA might look more glamorous.
“I think a little bit about everything,” he said. “I’m thinking about how much of the world we’ll be able to see when we’re done playing the game.”
James says he wants to keep playing until his oldest son, Bronnie, reaches the NBA.
However, that plan doesn’t seem to include the struggles of mid-level teams.
“I’m thinking about how long I’m going to play the game,” he said. “From a team point of view, I don’t want to end my career playing at this level,” he said.
“I still want to be able to fight for championships because I know what I can bring to any ballclub with the right pieces,” James said. Trading deadline of February 9th. — AFP
