LeBron James on the brink of 41: “I’m battling Father Time”
Just days away from his 41st birthday, LeBron James leads the Lakers to a win over the Sacramento Kings with another high-level offensive performance
The Los Angeles Lakers bounced back in convincing fashion against the Sacramento Kings, cruising to a 125-101 victory at Crypto.com Arena. The game was never truly in doubt, built from the opening half thanks to the overwhelming offensive force of Luka Doncic and the ageless reliability of LeBron James.
The standout performer was the former Mavs, who poured in 34 points, 24 of them in the first two quarters, immediately tilting the game’s momentum. Sacramento struggled to find answers, overwhelmed by the Lakers’ pace, physicality, and sharp offensive execution.
Alongside the Slovenian star, LeBron delivered an extremely efficient performance of his own: 24 points on 84% shooting, once again proving that age remains more a number than a limitation. With his 41st birthday just days away, the No. 23 joked about the topic in one of his trademark quips, destined to go viral:
I’m in a battle with [Father Time], and I’d like to say I’m giving him a pretty good fight.
LeBron James
With the win, the Lakers improve to 20–10 and, perhaps more importantly, send a clear signal of resurgence after a stretch of disappointing performances. Now the priority is consistency – because slipping back into inconsistency would once again invite heavy criticism.