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LeBron James continued his mastery at his favorite NBA court, the world’s most famous arena — Madison Square Garden — as he led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 113-105 victory on Saturday, February 4, that snapped the New York Knicks‘ 9-game win streak.
James dropped 24 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists to improve his Garden record to 23-9. It was a testament to James’ long-sustained commitment to excellence that made him the face of the NBA for two-plus decades.
After the Lakers’ massive win, James’ postgame thoughts about his advice to aspiring kids who want to become a great player like him went viral.
“Learn the history of the game,” the 39-year-old James told reporters. “Respect the ones that came before you. Even when they do disrespect you, it’s okay. It’s absolutely okay. Know who paved the way.
Understand what a professional is all about. Be a pro. Show up to work, be ready to work, if you’re on time, you’re late. Put the work in. The game gives back to you when you put the work in; that’s what the game gods do. Come to the gym. One of the first ones to the gym. You’re one of the last ones to leave. Just pour it all into the game if you want to be great and if you want to be someone that will never be forgotten in this league.”
LeBron James’ Warning
James, whose image remained squeaky clean devoid of scandals and off-the-court related problems, warned the next generation of players to stay focused and avoid the pitfalls of the materialistic world that became more pronounced with the advancement of technology and social media.
“The cars and the jewelry and all of the dumb s**t,” James said, “[they] don’t matter, means absolutely nothing. I see a lot of these kids getting so unfocused about stuff that is so material that they can lose their focus.
Just worry about the game.
“When you worry about the game, everything takes care of itself. Worry about the game, worry about your family and then worry about the game some more. And be selfish, too. It’s okay to be selfish because you have to be a little bit selfish to be able to be great. Some people have to fall to the wayside at times.”
Lakers Supporting Cast Sustain Momentum
The Lakers supporting carried their momentum from their massive upset of the Boston Celtics without James and Anthony Davis two nights earlier.
With James and Davis returning to the lineup, four other Lakers scored in double figures.
“I just think everybody who got an opportunity to go out and contribute did that,” James told reporters.
Austin Reaves and Taurean Prince came through, especially in the decisive 4th quarter where they combined for 23 of the Lakers’ 33 points.
Reaves finished with 22 points, 7 assists and 6 assists. Prince chipped in 16 points off the bench as Darvin Ham tweaked his starting lineup anew, inserting Rui Hachimura for a bigger frontcourt.
Davis anchored the Laker’s defense with 18 rebounds and 4 blocks on top of his 12 points and 4 assists.
D’Angelo Russell had 16 points while Jaxson Hayes had his second straight double-digit scoring performance with 10 points.
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