LeBron James, who turns 39 in a few weeks, has the perfect stage to demonstrate that he is still at the top of his game thanks to the NBA’s first-ever in-season tournament.

James put on a show during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 133-89 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at T-Mobile Arena, where dramatic stage lighting created the perfect atmosphere for the tournament’s semifinals.

James led the Lakers to a Saturday championship game matchup with the Indiana Pacers, who defeated the Milwaukee Bucks earlier in the day. James scored thirty points on Thursday in addition to dishing out eight assists and grabbing five rebounds.

And to think, James considered giving up on the game and the competition, where he obviously still thrives, coming into this past summer.

“If you decide to retire, or whatever the case may be, you’re not a part of it anymore, so it wouldn’t be me leaving it on the table because I would have never had the table set,” James stated to ESPN. “But I’m glad I’m here; let’s see if we can take advantage of this great opportunity. It’s gone well. It’s been awesome.”

The 21-year-old Lakers sensation has been so good for so long that there are moments when his performance against the Pelicans, in which he made 9 of 12 shots (including 4 of 4 from three), had no turnovers, and had a plus-minus of plus-36 in his 23 minutes of play, seems typical for him.

The things that James continues to accomplish on the basketball court appear even more absurd when one considers that he is older than teammate Austin Reaves—Shaquille O’Neal, who has been retired since 2011 and watched the tournament from courtside.

For example, during the first 61 seconds of the second quarter, James began to push Los Angeles ahead. He made three 3-pointers in that time, the last one qualifying as a heat check since the audience was waiting for him to shoot from 30 feet out as soon as he touched the ball past half court.

“You witnessed LeBron in action,” stated Willie Green, the coach of the Pelicans. “He understands these moments.”

It brought back memories of James’ first encounter with Zion Williamson in 2020, when he opened the game and established his supremacy over the then-rookie wonder by scoring 11 straight points in the third quarter, including going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.

Williamson finished with two rebounds, three assists, and thirteen points.

“I have to improve,” he declared. “I need to be more proactive in locating my opportunity. I have more work ahead of me to motivate my crew. I believe that tonight I was too carefree.”

James’s defensive effort may have taken precedence over his impressive burst of outside shooting.

In the first quarter, he set up to take a charge on the 23-year-old Williamson as he was racing down the lane. He then drew two more in the second quarter, risking his body, which had already played the most minutes in league history.

“Any time your best player sacrifices his body … especially with Zion coming down the paint, it sets a tone,” Reaves stated. “That shows to everybody else how locked in he is to win this.”

A reporter questioned James about whether he was too old to be making that kind of contact.

He remarked, “Listen man, not for that 500, I ain’t,” alluding to the $500,000 cash prize that each player would receive if they were the tournament winners.

James scored a total of 18 points in the second quarter, enabling Los Angeles to take a 67-54 lead into the half.

By the third quarter, the floodgates were opened, as the Lakers launched a 22-6 run to take a 90-60 lead, capped off by an alley-oop pass from James to Anthony Davis. The Lakers led 110-71 going into the fourth quarter following a 43-17 thrashing.

The Lakers were excellent in practically every facet of the game, even though James was the leader. L.A. outrebounded the Pelicans 40–31, shot 15–29 from three (51.7%), and shared the ball throughout the game, accumulating 31 assists on 47 field goals made.

Leading the way with 16 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks was Davis, one of four Lakers with double digits. James’ stat line created history by being the first player in the league to finish a game with 30 points or more, five rebounds or more, and five assists or more in under twenty-three minutes.

L.A. is in control going into Saturday’s championship game, having started the season 3-5, and they will be playing for the first-ever NBA Cup in addition to a substantial financial incentive. The Lakers are now 7-3 in their past 10 games and have won three straight, climbing to No. 4 in the Western Conference rankings.

Before the game, Lakers coach Darvin Ham observed, “This time of year you tend to – you don’t want to admit it, but teams tend to sleepwalk through some of these games.” “I thought it was a great idea for the league to bring this competition at this time of year. There is unquestionably a very strong electricity present in Vegas right now, and it can be felt throughout the arena and among the teams. Everyone is eager to strive their hardest and give it their all.”

James and the Lakers will now attempt to win a title on Saturday.

James stated, “We’ve got to finish our breakfast on Saturday,” alluding to a line from a Jay-Z song about finishing a task. “That’s the most important thing.”

After that, in June, Los Angeles can get back to chasing the NBA title.

“We are just trying to build a rhythm and be the best team we can be and put our best foot forward on a daily basis,” Ham stated. “The tournament just happens to align with what we got going on in general.”