As LeBron James moved within nine points away from becoming the first player in NBA history to reach the 40,000 scoring milestone, his Los Angeles Lakers teammate D’Angelo Russell reflected on the profound impact he’s had on his generation, and especially on his career.
“He’s the first person I saw play in the NBA, to be honest,” Russell revealed to reporters after James scored 31 points, carrying them down the stretch to a 134-131 overtime win against the Washington Wizards on February 29.
Russell shared that his father took him to his first NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and James’ former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers when he was a kid.
“We’re from Kentucky so [the Pacers] was our pro team,” explained Russell, who had 22 points in the overtime win. “I was a big LeBron fan and he did that signature dunk and I remember crying being at the game as a fan and watching him do that dunk that he always did on the commercials and all that.”
It was at that moment of the unexplainable joy of watching his hardcourt idol up close that he saw his future.
“Seeing him do it, I remember crying vividly and that was when I was like ‘This is where I want to be.’ So he’s inspired me without even knowing it,” Russell said.
“He’s continuing to inspire the youth, his teammates. But the youth as a whole everybody kind of looks up to a guy like him the way he paves the way for us on and off the floor. [He’s] just a true role model so I’m not surprised by anything he’s doing. I won’t be surprised by anything he’s continuing to do and the sky is really the limit for him and what he’s done for this game.”
Back-to-Back Greatness
Barely 24 hours after carrying the Lakers on his back to an emotional 21-point fourth-quarter comeback win against the Clippers, James was back at it again.
The 39-year-old James’ imprint was all over the overtime win against the youthful Wizards team who played without nothing to lose attitude.
James’ athletic chase-down block on Jordan Poole and his subsequent game-tying 3-pointer in the overtime with 3:12 left completely shifted the momentum back to the Lakers. He fittingly capped his brilliance with a feed to Anthony Davis, who had 40 points and 15 rebounds, for the go-ahead basket.
Playing alongside him every night makes plays like those look ordinary to Russell, who is 10 years younger than James.
“I forget that [he’s already 39] the way he plays and his energy,” Russell said. I mean if you try to compare how high he jumped when he first got into the league till now, obviously, there’s a little drop off but he’s still jumping over dudes and doing all this athletic stuff. So for me, I’m not surprised.”
Lakers Superstar Can Still Play Into His 40s
Without signs of slowing down, Russell believes James can still play elite basketball into his 40s.
“I think he’s still capable, still got some years under his belt. You say it in Year 21. I’d be saying [Year] 25. You look up so I’m not surprised,” Russell said.
James has a $51.4 million player option for next season.
During his record 20th All-Star appearance, James talked about his future.
“I have not mapped out how many seasons I have left. I know it’s not that many,” James said on February 18. “I am a Laker, and I’ve been very happy being a Laker for the last six years, and hopefully it stays that way. I don’t have the answer to how long it will be or what uniform I’ll be wearing. Hopefully, it’s with the Lakers. It’s a great organization with so many greats. We’ll see. I don’t know how it’s going to end, but it’s coming.”
Lakers’ LeBron James: “I don’t know how many seasons I have left. I know it’s not that many. … I was asked this question a couple days ago: ‘Will you take the farewell tour or just Tim Duncan it?’ I’m 50/50.”
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Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell Shares Inspiring LeBron James Story: ‘I Remember Crying’