LeBron James talks reaching 40k career points, Postgame Interview 🎤

. AND HE’S SAT DOWN IN FRONT OF THE MIKES IN LA REINE RECORDS BECAUSE THEY KEEP COMING IN LOSSES DOES IS THAT ALWAYS KIND OF GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND. IS IT YOU HIT ONE. BUT IT’S NOT THE MAIN THING YOU’RE TRYING TO DO THAT NIGHT. WELL, I MEAN OBVIOUSLY I’M NEVER THINKING ABOUT A MILESTONE WHEN I’M OUT THERE BATTLING AND BUT WHEN IT HAPPENS, OBVIOUSLY WE ACKNOWLEDGE IT AND YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, UM, YOU KNOW, MUCH RESPECT AND MUCH LOYALTY TO THE LAKER FAN BASE FOR SHOWING ME THAT LOVE DURING THE TIMEOUT. AND, UM, YOU KNOW,

BEING THE FIRST PLAYER TO DO SOMETHING THAT’S PRETTY COOL IN THIS LEAGUE BECAUSE YOU JUST KNOW THE HISTORY YOU KNOW, THE GREATS THAT’S COME THROUGH THE LEAGUES. AND THEN YOU SEE SOME OF THE GREATS ON THE FLOOR TONIGHT. IT WAS JUST GREAT TO COMPETE VERSUS THAT. SO UM, BUT FOR ME THE MAIN THING IS ALWAYS THE MAIN THING AND THAT’S TO WIN. AND I HATE IT THAT, YOU KNOW, HAD TO HAPPEN IN A, IN A DEFEAT ESPECIALLY VERSUS A TEAM THAT, YOU KNOW, PLAYS EXTREMELY WELL BASKETBALL. AND WE PLAYED SOME GOOD BASKETBALL TONIGHT BUT WASN’T

ABLE TO CLOSE IT OUT. SO UM, BITTERSWEET. YOU KNOW, BUT UM, VERY I ENJOYED EVERY MOMENT TONIGHT THOUGH WHILE ON THE FLOOR. YEAH LEBRON BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU

WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT, ARE YOU MORE ANGRY OR FRUSTRATED AT THE RESULTS THIS EVENING? UM, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I’M I’M CALM DOWN, OBVIOUSLY SINCE THE GAME ENDED, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO JUST RELAX. AND IN MY LOCKER AND SHOWER, YOU KNOW, RECALIBRATE, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE. UM, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO BE. I JUST WANT TO BE

BETTER. YOU KNOW? I JUST WANT TO FIGURE OUT A WAY HOW I HOW WE CAN BE BETTER VERSUS THIS TEAM TO HAVE OUR NUMBER. UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN’T HAVEN’T BEAT THEM IN QUITE A WHILE, AND AND IT’S ALWAYS KIND OF THE FOURTH QUARTER, THE LAST SIX MINUTES OR THE LAST FEW MINUTES OF THE GAME WHERE THEY MAKE PLAYS. WE DON’T MAKE PLAYS. AND, YOU KNOW, THAT CAN BE FRUSTRATING. AND IN HIS OWN RIGHT. COLBY JONES YOU GUYS ARE UP 110, 108 WITH ABOUT FOUR MINUTES LEFT. AND THEN DENVER TOOK OVER FROM THERE. UH, PREGAME,

DARVIN MENTIONED YOU KNOW, THEIR FOURTH QUARTER LATE GAME PACKAGES AD DURR TALKED ABOUT BEFORE. JUST WHAT MAKES IT SO CHALLENGING TO FIND ANSWERS TO THEIR OFFENSE LATE, EVEN AFTER SEEING IT AS MANY TIMES YOU GUYS HAVE, UM, BECAUSE THEY HAVE FIVE THREATS ON THE FLOOR AT ONE TIME AND THEY’RE THEIR BIGGEST THREAT, CAN DO EVERYTHING. AND THAT’S AND JOKER. SO IT MAKES IT VERY CHALLENGING. AND LEBRON, UM, BEFORE THE GAME, MICHAEL MALONE WAS TALKING ABOUT YOU AND WAS TALKING ABOUT MAKING OTHER PLAYERS AROUND HIM. GREAT. UM, ARE YOUR ABILITY TO DO THAT AND SEGWAYED INTO

TALKING ABOUT JOKIC’S ABILITY TO DO THAT? UM, IT FELT LIKE YOU GUYS DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB ON HIM IN THE FIRST HALF, BUT YOU LOOK AT THE STATS PLUS 16, I THINK ALMOST ANOTHER TRIPLE DOUBLE. UM, IS THERE AN ANSWER FOR FOR HIM? UM, HAVE YOU SEEN ONE OR. NO, THERE’S NO. I GUESS HOW MANY OTHER GUYS IN THE LEAGUE ARE THERE THAT ARE UNANSWERABLE IN THAT WAY? UM. JOE. WELL, JOKER UM, LUKA. GIANNIS. STEPH. KATIE. I JUST TO NAME A FEW. HI, LEBRON. CONGRATS ON 40 K. UM, THE LAKERS HOSTED A GIRL DAD

NIGHT TONIGHT. AND SO I WAS WONDERING HOW OF ALL THE MOMENTS IN YOUR CAREER, IS THERE ANY THAT’S BEEN THE MOST SPECIAL BECAUSE YOU GOT TO SPEND IT WITH YOUR DAUGHTER. UH, I MEAN, IT’S DEFINITELY SPECIAL. WHEN I LOOKED UP THERE IN THE STANDS AND SEEN HER SITTING UP THERE AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE 40,000 POINT MARK HIT, UM, DEFINITELY LOOKED UP THERE AND MY WIFE AND LOOKED AT MY DAUGHTER AND MY MOM AND MY DAUGHTER WAS JUST CLAPPING AND, YOU KNOW, LIKE, PUMPING HER ARMS UP IN THE UP IN THE AIR. SO THAT

WAS A SUPER COOL MOMENT. BLEW HER KISS. SHE BLEW ON BACK TO ME. SO, UM. THAT’S SUPER COOL FOR SURE. UH, YOU KNOW, SHE’S THE BEST. UM, DEFINITELY A GIRL, DAD. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, HAPPY. SHE’S SHE’S A PART OF THE FAMILY. SHE RUNS THE SHE RUNS EVERYTHING. SO, UH, WHAT’S HIS GOALS IN OUR IN OUR HOUSEHOLD? FOR SURE. DAY? LEIGHA BROWN. DO YOU THINK THERE’S ANY OTHER CURRENT PLAYER THAT’S GOING TO RETIRE HAVING HIT THE 40 K MARK? AND IF NOT, DO YOU THINK IT WILL EVER BE DONE AGAIN? UM, I HAVE NO IDEA.

UH, OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE TO. YOU HAVE TO PLAY THE GAME QUITE A WHILE AND, AND HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME GOOD LUCK AS FAR AS INJURIES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. YOU HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY. YOU HAVE TO BE PRESENT ON THE FLOOR, AND THEN YOU HAVE TO BE PRODUCTIVE AS WELL. UM, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE A LOT OF GREAT GUYS IN OUR LEAGUE THAT CAN SCORE THE BALL. AND, YOU KNOW, IF THEY WERE TO STAY HEALTHY AND THEY WOULD PLAY A LONG TIME, THEN THEY CAN ECLIPSE IT. UM, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU

CAN’T ACCOUNT FOR WHAT COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN. SO I CAN’T SIT HERE AND SAY, UM, YOU KNOW, WHO WOULD IT BE IN OUR LEAGUE TODAY? AND THEN RECORDS ARE ALWAYS MEANT TO BE BROKEN. UM, YOU KNOW, IT’S. YOU CAN NEVER SAY NEVER OF ANY RECORD. UM, YOU YOU KNOW, AT ONE POINT WE SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, BIG OLD TRIPLE DOUBLE RECORD WOULD NEVER BE BROKEN. AND RUSS DID IT. AND NOW IT LOOKS LIKE, YOU KNOW, JOKER AND LUKA, THEY’RE DOING IT EVERY NIGHT. UM, YOU KNOW, IT’S JUST CERTAIN THINGS THAT YOU JUST, YOU JUST DON’T YOU

DON’T YOU DON’T THINK THAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I GUESS FOR YEARS, PEOPLE SAID KAREEM’S RECORD WOULDN’T BE BROKEN. AND I WAS ABLE TO ECLIPSE IT. BUT I, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO. LIKE I SAID, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOME REALLY GOOD LUCK. YOU HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, PLAY THE GAME AT A HIGH LEVEL FOR A LONG TIME. AND, AND BUT WE SEE. LEBRON, UM, I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE STILL NAVIGATING INJURIES AND DIFFERENT LINEUP AND ROTATIONAL STUFF, BUT THIS STARTING LINEUP PLAYED AGAINST THE NUGGETS IN THE CONFERENCE FINALS STARTED AGAINST

THEM FOR A COUPLE OF GAMES. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’VE SENT SOME PROGRESS WITH THAT? AT LEAST THAT UNIT IN TERMS OF JUST HAVING REPS AGAINST THEM AND CONTINUING TO KIND OF GROW ON BOTH ENDS? YEAH, I THINK OUR STARTING LINEUP HAS BEEN DOING PLAYING SOME GOOD BASKETBALL, AND OBVIOUSLY WE WANT TO GET OUR FULL LINEUP. IT’S NOT ABOUT JUST OUR STARTING LINEUP. IT’S ABOUT EVERYBODY THAT COMES IN THE GAME AND GETTING EVERYBODY BACK IN RHYTHM. UM, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, GETTING SPENCE ACCLIMATED TO WHAT WE DO AND GET HIM IN A RHYTHM. UM, OBVIOUSLY

IT’S ONLY A COUPLE GAMES SINCE CAM BEEN BACK, SO WE’RE TRYING TO GET HIM BACK INTO A RHYTHM. YOU KNOW? SO. AND THE REST OF THE GUYS, YOU KNOW, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE STILL MISSING OBVIOUSLY SOME KEY GUYS ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, VANDO AND SEAWOOD AND YOU KNOW, AND UH, YOU KNOW, SO, YOU KNOW, GABE OBVIOUSLY HAS NOT PLAYED, UM, YOU KNOW, SINCE EARLY IN THE SEASON. SO WE HOPE TO GET HIM BACK SOON AND SEE, SEE WHAT WE CAN BE, YOU KNOW, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE DONE. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT

THE STARTING LINEUP. OBVIOUSLY. WE HARVEST A LOT OF BIG MINUTES TONIGHT, BUT WE PLAY WELL WHILE WE WAS ON THE FLOOR TOGETHER. JUST WANT TO TRY TO CONTINUE TO COMPLEMENT ONE ANOTHER. LAST THREE CRYSTAL MELISSA TIM. HI LEBRON. CONGRATS ON 40 K. UH DESPITE THE LOSS TONIGHT YOU SCORED HALF OF YOUR POINTS. 13 OF THE 26 IN THE FOURTH QUARTER AS OF LATE. WHAT IS WORKING FOR YOU OFFENSIVELY SO WELL LATE IN GAMES. UM I MEAN I LOVE THE FOURTH QUARTER. THAT’S ALWAYS BEEN LIKE MY FAVORITE PART OF THE GAME, OBVIOUSLY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES

DOWN TO CRUNCH TIME AND JUST TRYING TO MAKE PLAYS. YOU KNOW, I, YOU KNOW, HAD A COUPLE OF OPPORTUNITIES TO EVEN, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE EVEN MORE PLAYS. BUT UM, WASN’T ABLE TO CAPITALIZE ON IT. BUT UM, YOU KNOW, I, YOU KNOW, IT’S THE START OF THE THIRD. I MEAN, IT STARTED THE FOURTH QUARTER. IT WAS A, I BELIEVE, 89, 89. AND, YOU KNOW, I’M CHECKING BACK IN AND, YOU KNOW, I LOVE THAT MOMENT. I LOVE, YOU KNOW, IT JUST GOES DOWN TO THE LAST 12 MINUTES. WE CAN MAKE THE MOST PLAYS. IF I CAN

IMPLEMENT MY, UM, YOU KNOW, MY IMPRINT ON THE GAME FOR THE LAST 12 MINUTES. UM, LIKE I SAID, I WAS ABLE TO MAKE A COUPLE OF PLAYS OR YOU SAID, YOU KNOW, AND I WAS ABLE TO MAKE A COUPLE OF PLAYS, BUT I’M OBVIOUSLY NOT ENOUGH TO FOR US TO BE VICTORIOUS. AND WHICH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT? MELISSA. HEY, BRIAN, UM, WHEN YOU BECAME THE ALL TIME LEADING SCORER, YOU ALMOST SEEM SURPRISED BY HOW MUCH IT HIT YOU IN THAT MOMENT. HAS IT HIT YOU JUST HOW MUCH SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE IT TAKES TO REACH 40,000? UM,

NO, IT HAS NOT. UM, I DON’T KNOW WHEN IT WILL OR IF IT WILL EVER. UM, BECAUSE I JUST, I JUST ALWAYS JUST, LIKE, JUST I JUST PLAY THE GAME. AND I JUST APPROACHED THE GAME EVERY DAY. I COME, COME TO WORK, I PREPARE, I PREP, UM, MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, SPIRITUALLY, EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. WHEN IT’S TIME FOR ME TO PLAY. AND I JUST TRY TO GO OUT AND CONTRIBUTE, AND I’VE BEEN ABLE TO DO IT FOR, YOU KNOW, 21 PLUS YEARS OR 20 PLUS YEARS, INCLUDING THIS YEAR. AND I JUST, YOU KNOW, IF I’M ON THE

FLOOR AND I FEEL, YOU KNOW, PRETTY GOOD, I FEEL LIKE I CAN MAKE PLAYS. I CAN MAKE PLAYS TO HELP US WIN. I FEEL LIKE I’M, YOU KNOW, STILL, UH, STILL A THREAT OUT ON THE FLOOR. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AND STILL ABLE TO DO THE THINGS THAT I THAT I WAS DOING TEN YEARS AGO OR, I MEAN, SOME OF THE THINGS I WAS DOING 20 YEARS AGO, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS WEIRD TO SAY, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST I JUST THINK I JUST PUT, YOU KNOW, A LOT A LOT OF THINGS THAT DON’T, YOU

KNOW, THAT’S NOT SHOWN, YOU KNOW, BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE CAMERAS ARE NOT ROLLING, WHICH IS VERY RARE WITH ME, THE CAMERAS ARE ALWAYS KIND OF FOLLOWING ME. SO, UM, BUT I’M JUST ALWAYS JUST, YOU KNOW, KEEPING THE MAIN THING, THE MAIN THING, AND THAT’S, YOU KNOW, PROTECTING MY BODY AND PROTECTING MY MIND AND THEN GOING OUT AND JUST POURING IT ALL OUT ON THE FLOOR FOR MY TEAMMATES, FOR MYSELF. UM, YOU KNOW, JUST SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE RESULTS. HEY, LEBRON. THERE’S A COMMERCIAL IN WHICH YOU TALK TO YOUR YOUNGER SELF.

IN REALITY, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL 18 YEAR OLD LEBRON ABOUT THE JOURNEY TO BECOMING AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST, A FOUR TIME CHAMPION AND NOW SCORING 40,000 POINTS? UM, I WOULDN’T TELL HIM ANYTHING, HONESTLY, BECAUSE 18 YEAR OLD LEBRON HAD A GREAT HEAD ON HIS SHOULDERS AND HE JUST DID. I JUST HE JUST HE WAS PUT IN A POSITION WHERE I WOULDN’T WISH TOO MANY 18 YEAR OLD KIDS TO BE PUT INTO. UM, BUT HE, UM. HE JUST HAD HIS HAIR, HIS HEAD AND THE BEST POSSIBLE POSITION HE WAS RAISED THE RIGHT WAY BY HIS MOTHER.

HE WAS RAISED THE RIGHT WAY BY HIS LITTLE LEAGUE COACHES. HE WAS HELD ACCOUNTABLE BY HIS FRIENDS. UM, HE MET A YOUNG LADY IN HIGH SCHOOL THAT HELD HIM DOWN AS WELL. AND, UM, AND THEN HE JUST TOLD HIMSELF IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A REAL NAME FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR LAST NAME AND YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR FRIENDS AND YOUR CITY, UM, THE ONLY WAY IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN IF YOU JUST STAY FOCUSED AND MAINTAIN FOCUS AND PUT IN THE WORK, UM. BESIDES MY FAMILY AND MY FRIENDS AND MY CITY AND THEN SOME PEOPLE IN

MY CITY AS WELL, BECAUSE WE EVEN WE EVEN KNOW SOME OF THEM PEOPLE TO BE QUITE HONEST WITH YOU, EVERYBODY WANTED TO SEE ME FAIL WHEN I GOT TO THE LEAGUE, EVERYBODY WAS JUST LIKE, IT’S NOT. IT’S NO WAY HE’S GOING TO BE ABLE TO EXCEED, YOU KNOW, THE EXPECTATIONS THAT’S PUT UPON HIM. THERE’S NO WAY I SEEN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME, I SEEN A, UM, COMMERCIAL THAT WAS PLAYED BEFORE MY FIRST GAME. AND WHEN I REWATCHED IT TODAY FOR THE FIRST TIME, I WAS LIKE, I THINK THEY WAS MENTIONING, LIKE,

ALL THE GREATS THAT EVER PLAYED THE GAME OF BASKETBALL. I THINK IT WAS LIKE BIG. OH, AND MICHAEL AND KAREEM AND KOBE AND I FORGOT WHO ALL ELSE WAS IN THAT COMMERCIAL OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE. COULD BE WRONG ABOUT SOME OF THE NAMES THAT I MENTIONED, BUT IT WAS. AND THEN IT WAS LIKE IN THE NEXT ONE, LEBRON JAMES. AND I’M AND I DIDN’T EVEN SEE THAT COMMERCIAL WHEN IT HAPPENED. BUT I WAS LIKE WATCHING THE TAPE. I WAS LIKE, WHAT THE HELL? LIKE THAT EXPECTATION ON THE 18 YEAR OLD KID. LIKE THAT

WAS THAT WAS INSANE TO JUST THINK ABOUT IT. AND I WAS WATCHING IT TODAY. I WAS LIKE, I WISH THAT ON NO KID AND NO SPORT TO HAVE TO HAVE THIS TYPE OF PRESSURE PUT ON THEM AND EVERYBODY WANTED TO SEE YOU FAIL. SO I WOULDN’T TELL THAT 18 YEAR OLD KID NOTHING I WOULD TELL HIM JUST TO DO EXACTLY. WHAT YOU’RE THINKING, NO MATTER WHAT. JUST STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, AND, UH, DON’T EVER GET TOO HIGH. UM, GET TOO HIGH. THEY’RE GOING TO TRY TO KNOCK YOU OFF. UM, BUT AT THE

SAME TIME, IF YOU IF YOU FALL JUST LIKE THE GREAT LADY AALIYAH SAID, JUST PICK YOURSELF UP AND TRY AG