‘I don’t want to end my career playing at this level’: LeBron James admits winning is priority as he approaches his 38th birthday after LA Lakers’ big loss in Miami dropped them to 14-21 in season
- LeBron James doesn’t want his illustrious career to turn out like this
- On a personal level, James improved and he again performed with 27 points
- Although the LA Lakers were disappointed again when they lost to Miami 112-98
- LA is currently third in the Western Conference with a paltry 14-21 record
- Click here for all your latest international Sports news from DailyMail.com
LeBron James is not satisfied despite a stellar 20th season on an individual front as the LA Lakers continue to slide.
In his return to Miami, the Lakers never looked likely, trailing at the end of each quarter by a 112-98.
James was once again a standout for LA, scoring 27 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out six assists.
LeBron James leads the way for the Lakers as he has in seven of their last eight NBA games
Though it was far from enough to satisfy the appetite of one of the NBA’s greatest ever, who was in a philosophical mood after the game.
‘I don’t want to end my career playing at this level, from the team aspect,’ James said after the loss.
‘I still want to compete for championships because I know what I can bring to any ballclub with the right pieces.
In his return to Miami, James had 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists in a 112-98 loss.
‘I’m thinking about my son graduating high school soon and going to college and I’m still playing and my youngest son will be a junior next year and how much time what I miss.’
Despite the NBA’s impending demise, the ultimate goal for the 37-year-old, who turns 38 on Friday, has not and will not change.
‘I’m a winner and I want to win,’ James remarked. ‘And I want to win and give myself a chance to win and still compete for championships. That’s always been my passion, that’s always been my goal since I came into the league as an 18-year-old kid from Akron, Ohio.
‘And I know it takes steps to get there, but when you get there and know how to get there, playing basketball at this level just to play basketball is not in my DNA. It’s not in my DNA anymore.
James reunited with old friend Udonis Haslem as the Lakers lost again, falling to a poor 14-21
‘So, we’ll see what happens and see how fresh my mind is in the next few years.’
The loss in James’ former arena dropped the franchise’s winning streak to 14-21 on the season.
This is the Lakers’ fifth loss in six games. ‘The King’ has top-scored for LA in seven of its last eight — only missing against the Suns after missing the game due to injury.
LA is dead last in the West’s Pacific division, four games back of the Golden State Warriors and 10 behind the top-seeded Clippers.
As for the Western Conference, it doesn’t read much with the Lakers finishing 13th out of 15 teams — only San Antonio and Houston have worse records.
