LeBron James has quietly stacked another piece of history onto a resume that already dwarfs every peer of his generation. At 41, the Los Angeles Lakers forward tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most regular-season wins in NBA history, a milestone that teammate-turned-analyst James Worthy said should astonish anyone watching closely.
"I'm I'm not surprised," Worthy said. "And he's doing it with a lot of spirit and a lot of energy. He's not just out there as a 41-year-old, you know, taking the leftovers. He's out in the front with energy and speed and power and force that you wouldn't see in, you know, any other player of his status that age."
Worthy, who watched James drop a triple-double against the Washington Wizards, admitted he has run out of ways to rationalize it. "I just I I know I continue to scratch my head every every game he plays that he's continuing to be a leader. Not only that, he's doing whatever it takes. He needs to be a scorer. Needs to be an assist guy. Tonight without Luka, he took over, triple-double."
The passing record is next. Worthy pointed out that James will soon overtake Magic Johnson on the NBA's all-time assists leaderboard, a statistical sweep that no forward has ever had in sight.
What has made the current Lakers run unique is not simply the individual numbers. It is the way James has turned his role into a complement next to Luka DonΔiΔ, whose arrival rewired the team's half-court engine. "Uh we're just playing our game," James said. "I mean obviously he's the he's the head honcho when it comes to our offensive power and then you know goes to AR and those two guys they attract so much so many eyes, so much energy, but he's just in unbelievable rhythm right now."
James still finds one area where he can lead the league outright. "I think I'm leading the league in transition points," he said. "It's something I I can do. Get out and run. It's something I've always been able to do throughout my life playing this game. Luca controls the pace offensively in the half court situation and I just try to put pressure on the defense in the full court situation."
The emotional highlight of March arrived when James drew a double team and shovelled a pass that sent his son Bronny into a corner three β the first father-to-son assist in NBA history.
"Definitely a cool moment," James said. "For us and also for our family. I just always made the right play. I got doubled and he was able to make, you know, fake the pass to the corner and then knock down the three."
Asked about Bronny's shooting touch returning after the cardiac incident that paused his college career, James was characteristically matter-of-fact. "He's always been able to shoot the ball. He's shot the ball at a high level pretty much throughout his years of playing ball. So I just think just the confidence and the rhythm and just getting his strength back. Everything is just coming back."
James framed this stretch of the season as championship prep rather than a victory lap, leaning on a road trip that tested the Lakers' nerves in Houston, Orlando, Miami, Detroit and Indiana. "We're a very resilient team. We understand how to execute late in the game. We understand what the moment feels like. We don't shy away from it. We want to continue to build these habits going into these last eight games, prepping for the postseason."
Worthy's bottom line was simpler. "I've never seen an athlete quite like LeBron James still doing what he does. And he leads. When he's not leading, he'll get out of the way and allow Luka and Austin Reaves to do their thing. And when he's called upon, he's always available. Just simple."
