Mark Medina
LOS ANGELES — Despite fluidity both about LeBron James’ game availability and his NBA future, New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown projected with confidence how long James’ career will last.
“He can play forever,” Brown said.
Technically, Brown’s prediction immediately became incorrect. The Lakers (38-25) ruled out James for Sunday’s game against the New York Knicks (41-23), marking the second consecutive game he will miss because of both a left elbow contusion and left foot arthritis. James suffered the injury in Thursday’s loss to Denver after falling on a drive. Afterwards, James described his elbow as “pretty sore. James still completed a pre-game warmup on Sunday, and the Lakers have listed him as day-to-day.
Brown made a larger point. James has become the NBA’s longest tenured player in NBA history this season after eclipsing former NBA player Vince Carter’s 22-year run. Unlike Carter, James has still played at an All-Star caliber level. The Lakers have primarily revolved about Luka Dončić since the Dallas Mavericks dealt him unexpectedly before last season’s trade deadline. But James has still averaged 21.4 points while shooting 50.4% from the field along with 7.0 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game.
“He can play forever,” Brown repeated. “I know he won’t, but the shape that he is in and how he takes care of his body is just amazing.”
Not as amazing as James’ son, Bronny, also playing in the NBA alongside his father for the past two years. Brown called that achievement “mindblowing” and added “that impacts me more than him retiring.” Brown coached James during the majority of first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2005-10) before he departed to the Miami Heat as a free agent.
“The crazy part is when you see players that you coached and then their kids are playing in the NBA. That’s a little freaky for me because it tells me that I’m old,” the 56-year-old Brown said. “But then when I go to the bathroom, I shave all my gray hairs also, so it helps me believe that I’m not that old.”
Mark Medina is an NBA contributor for Sportsnaut. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
