LeBron's age‑defying night
LeBron James put up 28 points on 10‑of‑16 shooting, six rebounds, 12 assists and four steals in the Lakers' win — making him the first player aged 40+ to string together three straight games of 25+ points and 10+ assists. (x.com). That statline arrived during the season's final stretch as teams close out the regular season and jockey for seeding. (northjersey.com).
LeBron James closed the Lakers’ regular-season stretch with another big playmaking night, becoming the first 40-and-over player to post three straight games of at least 25 points and 10 assists. (nba.com) James finished Friday’s 101-73 win over the Phoenix Suns with 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting, 12 assists, six rebounds and four steals in 32 minutes at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers secured home-court advantage in the first round with the victory. (espn.com) James was 41 years old for the game, with his official National Basketball Association profile listing his birth date as December 30, 1984. ESPN’s player bio also lists him as 41 during the 2025-26 season. (nba.com) (espn.com) The timing landed on the last weekend of the regular season, when Western Conference teams were still sorting out playoff position. National Basketball Association playoff tracking listed the SoFi Play-In Tournament for April 14 and the playoffs for April 18. (nba.com) By Sunday, April 12, all 30 National Basketball Association teams were scheduled to play on the regular season’s final day, with seeding still unsettled across the bracket. USA Today described that final slate as a day with “plenty of intrigue” left in the standings race. (usatoday.com) For Los Angeles, the Suns game also showed how much offense still runs through James when the roster is thin. The Associated Press recap on ESPN said the Lakers were short-handed, and James led the game in assists while scoring efficiently from the field and from three-point range. (espn.com) His season profile helps explain why the stat line stood out even beyond one night. ESPN listed James at 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game for the 2025-26 regular season entering the weekend, making the 28-and-12 line another jump above his already high baseline. (espn.com) The Lakers now move from scoreboard watching to bracket watching, with their first-round series next and James carrying fresh evidence that he can still control a game deep into April. (nba.com)
