HOUSTON — LeBron James is nearing more NBA history.
When James stepped on the court against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center on Wednesday night, he moved within one game of tying Robert Parish’s games played record (1,611). As with every milestone James has reached since JJ Redick became the Lakers’ coach last season, he was asked about what this latest one says about the 41-year-old star.
“You hear stories about his preparation and what goes into his craft, and never got to be his teammate, but I’ve coached him now for two years and the preparation is real,” Redick said. “He really puts everything into it. He makes adjustments with his diet, he’s made adjustments with his wine consumption. … He does everything he can to maximize and squeeze the juice out of every season.”
Following Wednesday night’s game against the Rockets, the Lakers will play the second half of a back-to-back set on Thursday night in Miami. Getting into Florida in the middle of the night, likely around 4:30 a.m. local time, James could be a candidate to sit out against the Heat with a scheduled day off following Thursday’s game.
Redick said he has yet to discuss with James whether he would play or not play against the Heat. But if he doesn’t play against Miami, James could tie the NBA record on Saturday against the Orlando Magic.
BRYCE JAMES TAKES ON NCAA TOURNAMENT
Mark down Arizona on James’ NCAA Tournament bracket. And he’s got a good reason to root for the Wildcats.
Bryce James, LeBron James’ second-oldest child and the younger brother of Lakers guard Bronny James, will be suiting up for March Madness on Friday when No. 1 seed Arizona faces No. 16 seed Long Island in a first-round game in San Diego. While Bryce James, who played high school basketball at Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, is redshirting for the Big 12 champion Wildcats and hasn’t appeared in any games, LeBron James shared how grateful he was for the experience his son is having at the collegiate level.
“To have our kid be able to experience that, see the joy on his face, the happiness that he has being there at Arizona, learning from a lot of the vets and learning from some of the guys that he came into class with,” James said on Monday night. “I think it’s a great experience and it’s gonna pay dividends for him going into next year, but he’s just living in the moment. To see the success that they’re having and him enjoying that … so I’m definitely rooting for them in the tournament and we see what happens.”
LaRAVIA ON PACE FOR 82
Following the Lakers’ lopsided loss to the Rockets on Christmas Day in Los Angeles, the Lakers’ Jake LaRavia said he and his teammates needed to buy in to all 82 games on the regular-season schedule.
The reserve forward, who has played in every game this season, has provided defensive energy while averaging 16.4 minutes per game during the team’s six-game win streak.
In Redick’s eyes, LaRavia has bought in to what the Lakers need from him, just two weeks after he had what his coach called “awful” and “terrible” performances against the New Orleans Pelicans and Denver Nuggets on March 3 and March 5.
“He’s been really good, especially on the defensive end,” Redick said of LaRavia, who has the highest net rating (24.9) on the team over the past six games. “He consistently crashes [the boards], he consistently does the things outside of just shooting that we’re asking of him.”
When asked how hard it would be for LaRavia to achieve the 82-game milestone, Redick shared from his own experience. Redick played in all 82 regular-season games for Orlando in his fourth NBA season.
“I think it’s always been challenging,” said Redick, who reached 78 games three other times in his 15-year career. “It’s very challenging now. Jake’s someone that at times has played heavy minutes and has started over 30 games for us. … He’s someone now in his fourth year, similar to my fourth year when I did it, who’s now in the rotation every night. And that hasn’t been the case for him throughout his career. So he’s taking advantage of a great opportunity.”