LeBron James: "I just know I don’t have much time left to play the game that I love"

Saturday, 20 April 2024 at 05:00

Tomorrow, the long awaited moment finally arrives. Saturday night will be the moment for the playoffs to begin. The most exciting part of the NBA season is here and possibly the most anticipated duel of the first round will be LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets. After Friday's practice, the King talked to the media and analyzed the upcoming matchup against Denver and reflected on his playoffs career.

The LA Lakers were swept last year in the Western Conference Finals by the same team they will be taking on in the first round of this year's playoffs. Denver had its two stars playing at their best in that moment and the Lakers coulnd't figure out how to stop them. However, every year is a different story and this LA squad is a dangerous matchup for the reigning champions.

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LeBron James will be playing his 17th NBA playoffs, a wonderful journey for one of the greatest players to ever play the game. At 39 years old, James continues to be in great shape and in an awesome basketball level, but he's aware that he's playing his lasts seasons, so he's taking some time to enjoy and embrace every moment.

"I just know I don’t have much time left to play the game that I love. Every moment that I get into the floor is a treat. […] I’m on the last few stages of my career."

The King also took some time to praise their first round rivals, and especially Denver Nuggets' superstar Nikola Jokic:

"He’s one of the best players to ever play this game. It’s that simple. He does everything. Most importantly, he changes the way his teammates think about their own play. When you're able to inspire your teammates to play at a level that sometimes they don't even feel like they can play at, that's a true testament of greatness."

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When asked about how he arrives to this series compared to last year, LeBron answered:

"I'm in a much better rhythm this series, phisically, emotionally, all that, coming to the series this year compared to the Western Conference Finals last year. I was extremely banged up last year, I'm not at 100% now, I don't think anyone is at 100 but I feel better than last year," concluded the 4-time NBA champion.