The LA Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings on Saturday (131-127) behind a masterful performance from LeBron James. Not only did James lead all scorers with 32 points, he also registered a triple-double. To go along with his high scoring, he grabbed 14 rebounds and dished out 10 assists.
Registering a triple-double is already impressive. However, it’s even more special considering that LeBron is already 39 years old and is playing in his 22nd season. Something that even his opponent De’Aaron Fox marveled at.
Fox shared just how impressed he was with James’ longevity during the postgame press conference of the Lakers-Kings game.
“Guys his age are playing at the rec,” Fox said to the media. “Obviously what he’s done in this league throughout his entire career has been amazing and what he’s doing right now still in year 22 will probably never be replicated again.”
LeBron James was not the only Laker player to score over 30 points against the Kings. Fellow All-Star Anthony Davis also made his mark on the scoring column with 31 points. Davis also finished with nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
James also wasn’t the only player to register a triple-double in that game. Kings center Domantas Sabonis stuffed the stat sheet for Sacramento with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Fox also did some heavy lifting with 28 points and 10 assists, while DeMar DeRozan added 23 points. However, the elite performances from these three All-Stars were not enough to propel their team to a win.
LA’s win over Sacramento marks the first time that Davis won against Sabonis in 11 contests.
Also read: Lakers coach JJ Redick makes opinion clear on LeBron James playing 82 games
LeBron James joined the LA Lakers in the summer of 2018. However, his first season with the Lakers did not go according to plan, with the team beginning the 2018-19 campaign with an 0-3 start.
The beginning of the 2019-20 season went better for the Lakers as they won eight of their first ten games. However, they still lost their first contest of the year, which was against the LA Clippers. In 2020-21, the Lakers faced the Clippers for their season opener again with the Clippers taking the victory once more.
In 2021-22, the Lakers dropped their first two games of the season, starting with a loss to the Golden State Warriors. In 2022-23, they started their season against the Warriors who beat them again, kicking off a five-game losing streak to begin the year. Last season, they lost their season opener again to the Denver Nuggets.
This year, the Lakers have finally snapped their streak of losing their season opener. LeBron James and the Laker squad took down the Minnesota Timberwolves, 110-103, on Tuesday. Then on Friday, they defeated the Phoenix Suns, 123-116.
After that, they faced the Kings, where James registered a triple-double on the way to a 3-0 start.