The Los Angeles Lakers are heading to the inaugural In-Season Tournament finals. Los Angeles ran the New Orleans Pelicans off the floor in Las Vegas on Thursday night, 133-89, behind a ridiculous performance from LeBron James. In only 23 minutes of work, James put up 30 points on 9-for-12 shooting with eight assists and five rebounds, operating in total control of his environment to earn a matchup with the high-flying Indiana Pacers on Saturday evening.
Not only was James getting the job done on offense, James put his body on the line on defense, as the soon-to-be 39-year-old took multiple charges on the evening.
LeBron draws another charge from Zion. Has 3 of them on the night. pic.twitter.com/pLMR0G21KP
— Oh no he didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) December 8, 2023
It’s not often that you see older dudes put their body on the line like this, and after the games, James got asked why, exactly, he’s letting someone as big and physical as Zion Williamson bowl him over. The answer — and this will not be surprising for anyone who is aware of how famously cheap James is — revolves around money.
“I mean, listen, man,” James said when asked if he’s too old to take charges. “Not for that $500,000, I ain’t.”
As Giannis Antetokounmpo learned earlier this week, players win money based on how far their team advances in the Tournament. So far, James has accrued $50,000 for making the quarters, $100,000 for making the semis, and $200,000 for making the final. The winning team on Saturday will take home an additional $500,000 for each player.