Despite being demoted to third highest usage player role for the team, the effort from LeBron James has not decreased. Be it diving for loose balls against the Nuggets or getting hit hard on his elbow, the 41-year-old bounced back. While the wear and tear needed care, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar delayed it for one of the veteran reporters in the game.

After the game, ESPN’s Lisa Salters spoke to Bron and asked him about the elbow injury he sustained in the fourth quarter. “I’m going to throw some ice on it as soon as I get to the locker room. That’s why I kind of ran off. But, you know, I love you. You’re awesome. So I had to come back and do this interview for you,” replied James.

Salters confirmed that LeBron James was in a hurry to rush back to the locker room. Tomorrow is the second game of a back-to-back for the Lakers as they face the Miami Heat. So, the 22x All-Star wanted to begin his recovery process straight after the buzzer. But seeing it was Salters, Bron decided to go back a few minutes late.

The incident happened with 5:40 on the clock as LeBron passed on the pass from Luka Doncic and was attempting another dunk. But Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. in trying to stop James, inadvertently pulled the Lakers star’s right elbow down, and upon impact, the right elbow hit the hard court. Bron was in serious discomfort and was constantly shaking his hand to get some feeling back in it.

The play was under review, but it remained a common foul. The good news was that LeBron James was able to continue and even hit the two free throws right away. After the game, Bron stated the same and remained positive about his appearance tomorrow. “But I’ll take care of myself and hopefully be ready tomorrow night,” he said to Salters.

LeBron James puts up a near-perfect shooting night

The NBA declared Bron as the first player in NBA history to record 30+ points on 90%+ FG% in a regular season game after turning 41 years old. Against the Rockets, he had 30 points, 5 rebounds on 13/14 FG, meaning a clinical 92.9% FG. His first half numbers were perfect, and they consisted of four dunks on the Rockets players. Bron had 18 points with 0 turnovers, and it consisted scoring all his 8 attempts from FG and two from beyond the arc.

Clearly, shifting to more of an off-ball role is working for LeBron James. The effort and performance even left the head coach wondering. “Watching him, it actually probably makes me feel like a loser,” said Redick. “Every time he falls on the ground, every time he gets a box out, every time he hits hard in transition, I feel it too. It’s just the preparation that he puts into his body over and over and over again. That to me is the ultimate sign of competitive stamina.”

This has clearly helped the Lakers as they are now on a seven-game winning streak and are currently a third seed in the West.