LeBron James

LeBron erupts in 'resounding' birthday 'statement' as teammates answer big 'challenge'

Young went on to make a jump shot but Schroder answered back and James then finished it off with a pair of free throws to ice a memorable win for the Lakers. would instead take a 98-95 lead into the final quarter of the game. It was a tough first quarter for the Lakers, who fell into a 33-23 hole after shooting just 1-for-8 from deep and turning the ball over five times. Of course, there was also still plenty of the birthday boy in the third, with James adding 13 points and four rebounds in the quarter. James had 10 points and four assists during that run to finish the half with 18 points, five rebounds and eight assists while Bryant had a handy 11 points and nine assists. Young was eventually cleared to return though and played a key role in the Hawks’ victory, scoring points to go with three rebounds and eight assists.

LeBron James has delivered a masterpiece as he continues to defy Father Time and prove his otherworldly abilities show no sign of slowing down. James McKern.

“Kareem Abdul Jabbar averaged 10, Dirk Nowitzki averaged 12, Kobe Bryant was the high-water mark … While all eyes were transfixed on James, Russell Westbrook produced once again off the bench, finishing with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists. 20 years in the league. Now he does it at 38. He did it at 25. In his 20th season in the NBA and on his 38th birthday, the man better known as “The King” proved once more he’s arguably the greatest player in the history of the game.

On his 38th birthday, LeBron James delivered one of his best games of the season in a win over the Hawks.

James erupted for a near-triple-double of 47 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. James was otherworldly — and not just relative to his big day. On his 38th birthday, James looked no different than the 19-year-old who entered the league in 2003.

The Lakers' superstar scores 47 points, nearly becoming the 1st player in league history to record a triple-double on their birthday.

The scoring tally trails only the birthday 48 James put on the Hawks in 2009, when he turned 25. A single assist was all that stood between James and the first birthday triple-double in NBA history. A

LeBron James scored a season-high 47 points on 18-for-27 shooting and added 10 rebounds and nine assists in the Lakers' 130-121 victory at Atlanta.

[The Lakers](https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers) overcame a 15-point first-half deficit, beginning with a huge second quarter from James, when he created more than 82% of the Lakers’ points when you add his scoring (16) with the 16 points created from his seven assists. Fans in the crowd howled when he slammed, they gasped when he sprinted up and down the court, and they exploded when he made a clutch, deep three-pointer late in the fourth quarter to give him 40. He became just the third player to score 47 or more points after turning 38 and the first to do it with 10 rebounds or nine assists.

James predicted a 40-point night before the game. 'I had to make it happen."

He then drove to the other side of the rim, stopped, spun around and sunk a baby jumper just five feet from the rim to give him 45 points. James proved he still has a quick enough first step to get by the young guys, and when the Hawks sent a help defender under the rim to provide some resistance, James effortlessly evaded that. James took advantage of Atlanta's poor rim protection, doing a bulk of his damage under the rim as the Hawks had no one to slow him down. The impressive part about James' performance was the efficiency in which he pulled it off. The four-time champion dropped 47 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to lift the [Los Angeles Lakers](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/LAL/los-angeles-lakers/) to a 130-121 road win. The other two players ahead of James are Jordan and Jamal Crawford, both of whom put up 51 points.

LeBron James scored a season-high 47 points on his 38th birthday with many of the sellout crowd at State Farm Arena cheering his every move, ...

But I just knew if I continued to put in the work, I continued to be true to the game, then I could be one of the greatest players to ever play this game. "I didn't know what I could become at 18. "I feel better than [he felt at] 18," James said. "I don't think anyone took that as a slight," Ham said. "They've been with me since before this 20-year campaign started," James said of his family. "I think they took it as, 'You know what? It was the third most points ever scored by a player age 38 or older, trailing Jamal Crawford and Michael Jordan, who each had 51 points. "But it's something I expect. James didn't just put himself out there by predicting the 40-point outburst. It's just something I expect from him. For most of the night, after shaking off a 1-for-5 start, it was mesmerizing. "I've been scoring 30 and it hasn't worked so ...

LeBron James celebrated his 38th birthday by scoring a season-high 47 points to help the visiting Los Angeles Lakers erase a 15-point deficit and beat the ...

Pascal Siakam added 26 points and six assists for the Raptors, who ended a five-game home losing streak by winning for the third time in their past 11 games overall. Anunoby contributed 16 points for the Raptors, and Scottie Barnes scored 11. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 20 points on 7-for-7 shooting for the Nuggets, who won for the ninth time in 11 games. DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points and Nikola Vucevic collected 19 points and nine rebounds for the Bulls, who have won five of six games overall and 12 straight against the Pistons. Bones Hyland had 16 points and Vlatko Cancar scored 15 for Denver. Willy Hernangomez scored 13 points as the Pelicans won their fifth straight game. Thompson finished with 31 points after hitting seven 3-pointers for Golden State, which won its fourth straight at home over the past six days. Dejounte Murray added 20 points and nine assists, and Onyeka Okongwu had 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Damian Lillard poured in a team-high 34 points in another of his San Francisco Bay Area homecomings. Washington, which has won four straight games and five of six, went on a 16-2 run midway through the second quarter and never looked back. It was the third straight road loss for Utah. He added 10 rebounds and nine assists to fall just short of his first triple-double of the season.

LeBron James knows how to celebrate in style, scoring a season-high 47 points as he inspired the Los Angeles Lakers to a 130-121 win over the Atlanta Hawks ...

I just knew that [if] I continued to put in the work, continued to be true to the game that I could be one of the greatest players to ever play this game, I just always believed that, so there are times when I’m on the floor when I feel like a kid again … [James](https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/01/sport/lebron-james-jerry-jones-photo-intl-spt/index.html) helped his team come back from 15 points down at the State Farm Arena and ended the game with 10 rebounds and nine assists. “At 18 years old I knew how to play the game, I knew I belonged in the NBA but I didn’t know what I could become.

The King reminded fans that age is but a number with his masterclass on Friday night.

On his 38th birthday Friday, the [Lakers](https://www.si.com/nba/team/los-angeles-lakers) superstar showed why he’s one of the greatest to ever pick up a basketball with a spectacular performance in Atlanta. Ham and James’s teammates weren’t the only ones in complete awe of the 38-year-old’s showcase on Friday. That gift was a 47-point outburst, his highest scoring total of the season.