"I don't have to rush myself": LeBron James makes his goal for 23rd season abundantly clear amid Lakers' new era under Luka Doncic

LeBron James will be entering a record 23rd season in the NBA as once again the leader of the LA Lakers alongside superstar Luka Doncic. While this season could be his last in his career, James is hopeful for a winning year as the franchise transitions from him to Doncic.

During an episode of the Mind the Game podcast with Steve Nasg, James revealed that he is looking to compete for the championship once more with the Lakers' current core of players.

"When you have a dynamic transcendent player like Luka, when you have an unbelievable complimentary player in AR (Austin Reaves)," James said on believing in the Lakers' roster. "Some of the vets we got, bringing in Marcus Smart, a championship pedigree guy, and bringing in, you know, DA (DeAndre Ayton), who also had been to the finals as well in Phoenix. Rui has another year under his belt. Vando is back healthy. We look forward to what we can accomplish." "Me being 40 on the break of 41, I don't have to rush myself to get to 100%."

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The Lakers reloaded their roster in the offseason, adding size such as center DeAndre Ayton to address the team's biggest hole last season after trading Anthony Davis. LA also signed Marcus Smart, a former Defensive Player of the Year, on top of another defense-first player Jake LaRavia.

The Lakers finished last season as the third-seed in the loaded Western Conference, but lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round.

This will be the first time James will have Doncic for an entire year, since he came to the Lakers in a shocking trade with the Dallas Mavericks last February.

It will also be Lakers head coach JJ Redick's second season with the Lakers after leaving his podcast gig to be the team's head mentor last year.

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LeBron James embraces the rarity of playing 23 seasons in the NBA

LeBron James is one of one in terms of longevity in the NBA. Having played 23 seasons in the league, James embraced the challenge of keeping his body of work while being the oldest player in the NBA.

“It’s pretty cool to know how many miles I’ve got and still be able to play at a high level,” the Lakers star said. “For me, age is kind of just a number, but it is reality, too. You look at the history of the game, there’s not been many guys at my age, especially going into Year 23, that have been able to play at a level like that. I just try not to take it for granted and just try to give the game as much as I can."

James and the Lakers will open the 2025-2026 NBA season against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21.

Edited by Rob Andrew Lo