By Alastair Talbot via Dailymail.com
Updated at 16:23 on November 22, 2023, 17:18 on November 22, 2023
- James, 39, is four years older than Jazz head coach Will Hardy
- James scored the 39,000th point of his 20-year career on Tuesday against the Utah Jazz
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
LeBron James expressed surprise that he is older than Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy shortly after scoring his 39,000th point in a blowout victory over the Lakers on Tuesday night.
When asked if it felt “weird” to be older than a 35-year-old head coach, the 39-year-old James first said: “Who am I older than?”
“Utah Head Coach” Spectrum Sports Network the reporter replied.
James was shocked by what he had just heard and needed a moment to formulate his own response.
“Whoa… poof… oh my god,” he said, then rubbed his head with his left hand. ‘It doesn’t matter at all.
‘That’s a good thing. You caught me (on that one), it’s crazy. “
“I can’t usually treat you like this,” the reporter joked afterward.
In utter disbelief, James repeated how “crazy” he was and that he was indeed older than the leader of an NBA team before bursting into laughter.
The NBA’s all-time scoring leader scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting as the Lakers beat the Jazz 131-99 on Tuesday night. He almost had a double-double in 24 minutes of playing time, but he fell just one assist short of it.
James also had seven rebounds against the Utah Jazz.
The Lakers will aim to retain some playing time for No. 23 in the playoffs (if they do so), as James is averaging 33.6 minutes per game in Los Angeles so far this year, just shy of his career 4.4 minutes less than the average (38.0 minutes).
He’s showing no signs of slowing down, either, averaging 25.7 points per game this season, 1.5 points below his 20-year career average.
The Lakers next face the Dallas Mavericks at home on Wednesday night in a mouth-watering game. They will then face LeBron’s former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, on Saturday.