Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James celebrated his 41st birthday on Tuesday ahead of their clash with the Detroit Pistons, and his big man teammate DeAndre Ayton reflected on James' longevity and the secret to his success.
"Consistency," Ayton told reporters after Tuesday's practice. "Being true to the game, approaching the game the right way. It's pretty obvious, it's black and white. He takes care of his body, he's a true professional. It's contagious.
"You want to put some of this stuff in your bag as well. He ain’t hiding nothing from you. So you might as well take free game."
James in his 23rd season is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, after a brief ramp-up period to begin the season, the 41-year-old looks just as good as he did last season. The 21-time All-Star is averaging 20.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists in 14 games this year. Over his last eight games, though, James is averaging 25.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists.
LeBron defying the odds
James' latest outing is a testament to his longstanding greatness. His 24 points on 10-11 2FG and 1-2 3FG turned in his highest field goal percentage (84.6%) in a game as a Laker. It was the third-best field goal percentage in a game in his career, according to ESPN's Matt Williams and Dave McMenamin, and he added three rebounds, five assists and two steals to his stat line.
Despite the constant narrative surrounding James' fit with superstar teammate Luka Doncic, he wants to focus on what's happening on the floor as a team rather than hyper-fixating on how he fits with the young, budding star.
"I don't wanna create a narrative of me and Luka. There's five guys on the floor and about seven guys that come off the bench; it needs to be all of us," James said after their latest win against the Sacramento Kings.
James plays his first game as a 41-year-old against the Eastern Conference's top-seeded Pistons on Tuesday.