Lakers poor but James still gold

PHOENIX • It has been a dismal season for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Considered championship contenders before the start of the campaign, they sit ninth in the Western Conference and face the prospect of qualifying for the play-offs via the play-in tournament.

But despite slumping to their seventh loss in nine games in a 140-111 rout by the National Basketball Association's league-leading Phoenix Suns, individually, it has been another outstanding season for LeBron James.

Injuries aside, the evergreen forward has been a model of consistency, contributing a game-high 31 points and team highs in rebounds (seven) and assists (six) on Sunday.

It was not enough against the Suns, who beat the Lakers for the third straight time this season and by a total of 57 points but James said his latest feat was worth savouring, "no matter what's going on this season".

The four-time NBA champion is now the first player to record at least 10,000 career assists, rebounds and points, establishing membership in the 10k club in Phoenix.

The 37-year-old cleared 35,000 career points last month, putting him in exclusive company behind Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and making him the youngest among the trio to achieve the feat. Abdul-Jabbar was 38 when he scored his 35,000th point, Malone was 39.

In January, James also reached 10,000 career rebounds, a feat just 41 other players have achieved.

After becoming the seventh player in NBA history to reach 10,000 assists to enter the 10k club, he said: "To now sit alone at a statistical category in this league that I've really modelled my game after: being able to score, rebound and assist... is pretty like, I'd say 'cool' but it doesn't quite make sense to me.

"I get lost for words any time things like this are happening to me because of where I come from.

"I automatically start thinking to my home town of Akron (in Ohio) and my upbringing, and where I come from and the dreams that I had of being in this league and playing at the highest level."

"King James" now has 36,824 career points and if he keeps up his scoring output, he is set to pass Utah Jazz great Malone (36,928) for No. 2 on the all-time scoring list some time this week and is also on pace to become the oldest player to lead the NBA in scoring.

It is something that is not lost on the veteran.

"It's an honour to be a part of this league," he said. "And tonight is one that happened not only for myself but for my family and friends."

On James, Phoenix coach Monty Williams, who is trying to help his team go one better after falling to the Milwaukee Bucks in last season's NBA Finals, said: "Scoring 25 points in an NBA game is hard. Ask anybody who hasn't done it.

"To do what he's done the last few games, I don't even think about his age any more. He doesn't look like he's closing in on 40. He just looks like LeBron James."

REUTERS