Lakers’ LeBron James destroys the Wizards with a new record

At 40 years old, LeBron James he shouldn’t have the type of individual success on the field that he does. But the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is made of different stuff. On Tuesday night, the future basketball Hall of Famer defied Father Time again and put on a show for the Lakers to lead his team to 111-88 demolition of the visiting Washington Wizards in the Cripto.com Arena.

When all was said and done on the court, the four-time NBA MVP had 21 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds to become the oldest player in NBA history to have such a triple-double, according to StatMuse.

“LeBron James tonight: 21 PTS, 10 REB, 13 AST. Oldest NBA player in history with 20 PT triple-doubles,” StatMuse posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Still, it’s worth noting that LeBron James isn’t the first 40-year-old (or older) player to have a triple-double in an NBA game. His trip-dub against the Wizards put him in the same company like former Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone, who as a 40-year-old in 2003 had 10 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds to help the Lakers secure a 103-87 victory over Western Conference rivals the San Antonio Spurs.

Anthony Davis also had a great game against the Wizards, as he had 20 points and 16 boards, while Dorian Finney-Smith and Austin Reaves each had 16 points.

And speaking of the Jazz, James even came this close to breaking former Utah point guard John Stockton’s single-game scoring record for a 40-year-old NBA player. Stockton had 14 assists in a 105-92 win against the Los Angeles Clippers in a 2002 game — just days after turning 40.

But LeBron James will have many more chances to break that particular Stockton record, and he could do it as early as next Thursday, albeit against a tough opponent. The Lakers, who have won three of their last four games and are now 23-18, are scheduled to face the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics at home.

So far in the 2024-25 NBA regular season, James is averaging 23.7 points on 51.3 percent shooting from the field and 39.8 percent from beyond the arc, 9.0 assists and 7.5 rebounds per game.

Reckwell Villas is an experienced sportswriter covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and college football. He graduated from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines with a degree in Communication Arts, and claims to have a JR Smith conscience about his shot choices. He won basketball, baseball and fantasy football championships within a year.