LeBron James Says He Still Has 'Rookie Feelings' Entering 23rd NBA Season with Lakers
It's safe to say that LeBron James is still extremely passionate about basketball heading into his 23rd NBA season.
"I love to train still. I love to go out, feel the basketball, get on the court, watch the ball float in the air, go through the net. Hear the ball bounce. Hear the shoes screech on the floor," he told skateboarding legend Tony Hawk on UNINTERRUPTED's The Main Thing show (5:54 mark). "It still feels like the first time I picked up a ball. It still feels like the first time I stepped inside a middle school, and then a high school gym as a freshman. I still have those rookie feelings when I was drafted. You know, I wake up early, I pack my bag, get my things, all the essentials I need for that workout. And then when I hit the court, it's like, 'Wow, this is still a beautiful feeling."
It's not necessarily surprising that James remains passionate about basketball, but it's borderline astonishing that he remains so good at the age of 40. The four-time MVP, four-time champion and 21-time All-Star averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds and a steal per game last season, shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from three across 70 games.
It remains to be seen if the 2025-26 season will be James' final year. And even if it isn't, it remains to be seen if it will be his final season with the Lakers after the team clearly pivoted to Luka Dončić as its franchise cornerstone this summer.
James will be playing this season on an expiring contract, putting his status with the Lakers up in the air. It's a moot point if he retires, of course, but either way he doesn't seem particularly bothered by his contract situation.
"It will have no impact," he told ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I'm super excited about the challenges and the excitement of our team. We added some new guys. We got another year under our belt with our coaching staff from last year. Got a full year with Luka and another year with the guys that I've been with. So super excited about that. And I'm not worried about contracts at this point in my career. That doesn't bother me at all. Super humbled to even have it, have a contract still and be able to play the game that I love still at this part of my career and take full advantage of it."
Bring on the actual basketball, in other words.
