Lakers' LeBron James Says 'I'd Die on the Court' While Talking Mentality, Toughness

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James suggesting Wednesday that while he is willing to pay the ultimate price for basketball, he is also well aware of his limitations at the age of 39.

Speaking on the Mind the Game podcast with former NBA guard JJ Redick (beginning at the 20-minute mark), LeBron discussed the team's 116-112 win over the Los Angeles Clippers last month and the fact that he was tasked with guarding Kawhi Leonard.

James said he "vetoed" head coach Darvin Ham's call to switch defensively on Leonard due to his belief that covering Kawhi himself was the most favorable matchup for the team.

When asked by Redick if he could take on those types of matchups against elite players on a night-in, night-out basis, James replied with the following:

"Can I do it every night? I don't wanna say I can do it for a whole game. I mean, I'll take the challenge for sure, but I'm a competitor, I was born that way, I was taught that way. I'll f--king, I'll die on the court because I just love it so much. Am I being realistic? I gotta pick my spots. Definitely gotta pick my spots."

James is 39 years of age and in his 21st NBA season, but he is still among the elite players in the league thanks to his physical makeup, skill set and understanding of the game.

He was named an All-Star for the 20th time this season, and while the Lakers have been smart about strategically resting him, he has played in 62 of the team's 72 games and is averaging 25.4 points, 8.1 assists and 7.2 rebounds per contest.

The four-time NBA champion, NBA Finals MVP and NBA MVP is essentially in uncharted waters when it comes to being as productive as he is despite nearly being 40 years of age.

It can be argued that a big reason why he remains so effective is the fact that he is willing to throttle down in certain spots and allow teammates such as Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell to take on more of a starring role.

All of that is likely in the name of James being healthy and fresh for the playoffs, which was the case last season when L.A. went from the play-in tournament to the Western Conference Finals.

Currently, the Lakers are ninth in the Western Conference at 40-32, and they trail the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns by two games for seventh, and the Dallas Mavericks by three games for sixth.

Getting up to sixth would be huge since it would allow the Lakers to avoid the play-in, but since they only have 10 regular-season games left to play, James will likely have to prepare himself for a long haul if he and the Lakers want to go on a deep run and contend for a title.