In the 21st year of his extraordinary career, LeBron James is still doing things that have never been done. on March 31, against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, James added another historical performance to that list.
For only the second time in his nearly 1,500-game career, James nailed nine three-pointers, this time in only 10 attempts, on his way to a very efficient 40 points on 13-17 from the field and leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 116-104 win. The fans even gave James a standing ovation when he exited.
“You know the appreciation for fans here — I just try to give them the game back and it was very well received. I just try to reciprocate that by going on playing … at a high level,” James said of the New York City fans. “It’s a really good feeling when you have it going and you’re winning. That’s the most important for me.”
For context, James is shooting 41.6 percent on the season, while the NBA’s all-time leader in three-point attempts, Stephen Curry, is shooting 40.3 percent on the season.
James discussed expanding his game over his 21-year career and improving as a three-point shooter.
“I can score at any level on the floor basically once I cross half-court,” he said. “I can score in the post, I can score off pick and rolls, I can score off the ball off cutting or being a recipient of my teammates making a play for me. Being able to have a growth mindset and be able to work on things that the league is changing, too. The league is a heavy three-point shooting league. I’m not one of those guys that want to go out there and shoot 12, 14, 15 threes a game. But I want to be respected, and teams have to play me from the outside. I know that’s still kind of one thing that teams still want to be, like, ok, if you have to give up something, we much rather [you] shoot the ball from the outside … [B]ut shooting the long ball and also making my free throws, that’s very important.”
Finally, the icon from Akron, Ohio was asked about how much longer he plans to play in the NBA.
“Not very long,” he said. “I’m on the other side of the hill. I’m not going to play for another 21 years. That’s for damn sure. Not very long. I don’t know when that door will close as far as when I retire, but I don’t have much time left.”
