Los Angeles Lakers swingman Austin Reaves received an earful from his teammates when he almost prevented LeBron James from making history during their 124-104 home victory against the Dallas Mavericks.
James needed one rebound to become the oldest player in NBA history to notch a triple-double, and he was in position to grab PJ Washington’s miss with less than four minutes remaining, but Reaves came flying in to get the ball. Eventually, the Los Angeles Lakers forward recorded his 10th rebound after a Tyus Jones miss with 2:07 left.
“Everybody on the team yelled at me,” Reaves explained. “I don’t catch myself looking at the stats during the game, so we went to the bench, and everybody let me know about it. He didn’t, but everybody (else), and I looked at him and said, ‘Shoot, my fault.’”
James eventually finished with a game-high 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists on 10-for-20 shooting from the field in 35 minutes of action. The four-time NBA champion now has 152 career triple-doubles.
Los Angeles Lakers News: LeBron James reflects on achieving another old-man feat
At 41 years and 44 days old, LeBron James passed Karl Malone (40 years, 127 days) for being the oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, and the Los Angeles Lakers said he isn’t taking it for granted during his postgame interviews.
“I’m more appreciative of moments like this in my career, understanding where I’m at. I’m at the later stage of my journey, so definitely taking it in a little bit more,” James told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“I’m a goofy-ass 41-year-old kid,” he continued. “I get to play basketball. They pay me to play basketball. Why wouldn’t I be happy? I get to be with my son and my teammates and all these unbelievable fans that watched me throughout my career, and they give me all the support and love. I enjoy what I do… I just love what I do. It’s pretty cool.”
