On December 31st, Beijing time, LeBron James officially became a "forty-year-old man," with various parties expressing their congratulations on his 40th birthday; after today's training session, James reiterated his desire to end his career with the Lakers.
The NBA official account continuously updated several tweets to congratulate James on his 40th birthday, showcasing 40 highlights from his career, as well as a compilation of his career dunks, with the caption reading: 22 years in the NBA, 40 years of life, one of the greatest players in NBA history, still moving forward.
The Lakers' official account posted a poster to celebrate James' birthday, also sharing a compilation of the top 40 dunks from his Lakers career; the USA Basketball official account congratulated three-time Olympic gold medalist LeBron James on his 40th birthday.
FIBA's official Twitter posted a poster reading: The King is 40 today.
James' former teammates Kevin Love, Kyle Korver, Dwight Howard, and others voiced their congratulations to James; Mike Brown, Billups, and others also recorded videos to congratulate James.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke about James' 40th birthday, saying: In some ways, he's a freak of nature.
Today, the entire Lakers team is preparing for the Cavaliers game, with James returning to participate in training. After the training session, when discussing ending his career with the Lakers, James said: I think this is my plan. I hope to end my career here. I came here to embark on the final journey of my career, and then end it here. I am very clear that basketball is a business, and my relationship with this team speaks for itself. I hope that before the end of my career, I don't have to go anywhere else.
This season marks James' seventh season with the Lakers. In 2020, James and Anthony Davis led the Lakers to win their 17th championship in team history; currently, the Lakers are ranked fifth in the West with an 18-13 record. James has played 28 games this season, averaging 35 minutes per game with 23.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 9 assists, shooting 49.6% from the field, 35.7% from three-point range, and 76.7% from the free-throw line.