LeBron James just showed everyone who doubted him at the start of this season exactly what he thinks about their retirement predictions.
The 41-year-old Lakers star put on a vintage closeout performance against the Houston Rockets in Game 6 on Friday night, delivering a dominant 98-78 victory that sent the Rockets home and vaulted Los Angeles into the Western Conference semifinals.
James logged 37 minutes, collected 28 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out eight assists, proving once again that age is just a number when you’re willing to defy it completely.
Back in October, the narrative was brutal. LeBron’s camp spent the entire offseason dealing with the “end of an era” talk. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith went on record predicting a first-round sweep.
Analysts were asking out loud whether he even wanted to keep playing, whether this partnership with Luka Dončić made sense for a guy about to turn 41, whether Father Time had finally caught up.
The media was in full retreat-watch mode. Missing the first month to sciatica didn’t help the optics either. Suddenly, everyone’s favorite storyline became whether LeBron might be retiring, and the clock seemed to be ticking on one of basketball’s greatest careers.
But this Lakers team never quit, and neither did LeBron. After dropping Games 4 and 5 to Houston, doubt started creeping back in. Then came Friday night.
James and the Lakers came out swinging, building an 18-point halftime lead and holding the Rockets to just 55 points through three quarters. When the dust settled, the skeptics had their answer.
“I’m kicking his ass,” LeBron told Taylor Rooks on NBA on Prime, speaking directly to Father Time itself. “He can go to somebody else at this point. He already lost to me. It’s over with.”
That’s not trash talk. That’s the sound of a guy who just spent months being written off deciding to show his doubters exactly what he’s made of. The narrative shifted completely.
The Lakers now face a much tougher test. The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, the defending champions, await in Round 2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging nearly 34 points in these playoffs. But after what LeBron just did to Houston, nobody’s sleeping on him anymore.