LeBron James was again the star of the show as the Los Angeles Lakers surged into the final of the inaugural NBA in-season tournament.
The 38-year-old proved he retains his ability to dominate by pouring in 30 points and adding eight assists and five rebounds as the Lakers advanced with a 133-89 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
They will now face the Indiana Pacers in Sunday’s title match-up.
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James considered retiring in the off-season but performances like this prove he made the right call in prolonging his illustrious career.
“If you decide to retire, or whatever the case may be, you’re not a part of it anymore, so it wouldn’t be me leaving it on the table because I would have never had the table set,” James told ESPN.
“But I’m happy that I’m here; this is a pretty cool moment, and let’s see if we can capitalise on it. It’s been good. It’s been dope.
“We’ve got to finish our breakfast [win the title] on Saturday. That’s the most important thing.”
Add it to the books — LeBron is the first player in NBA history with 30+ points, 5+ assists, & 5+ rebounds in under 23 minutes pic.twitter.com/2mLGtzEqt5
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 8, 2023
The NBA in-season tournament has been a surprisingly successful initiative and Lakers coach Darvin Ham is hopeful of adding more silverware to the franchise’s cabinet at the weekend.
“We are just trying to build a rhythm and be the best team we can be and put our best foot forward on a daily basis,” Ham said.
“The tournament just happens to align with what we got going on in general.”
