Thursday night will be LeBron James’ 79th matchup against the Warriors in his 21-year career. It’ll also be just the 12th time, including playoffs, he’ll watch it from the sideline.
James, 39, will miss the Warriors-Lakers game at Chase Center because of left ankle tendinopathy. Though the two big-market, global franchises meet twice more this regular season, both of those games will be in Los Angeles. That means Bay Area fans who bought tickets for the game may not get to see James again in person this season. If the California rivals meet again in San Francisco this season, it could be in the play-in round.
Historically, James has gotten up for games against the Warriors. Four weeks ago at Chase Center the teams met for the first time this season, and James scored 36 points with 20 rebounds and 12 assists as the Lakers edged the Warriors 145-144 in double overtime.
In 39 career regular-season matchups against the Warriors, James is averaging 27.5 points and 7.2 assists per game. His 8.9 rebounds per game against Golden State is his highest against any team. The Warriors are all too familiar with how James can elevate in the postseason, too; his legendary 2016 Finals performance with the Cavaliers thwarted the 73-win team and he nearly singlehandedly beat the 2017 Super Team in Game 1 with a 51-point triple gem.
And when the Warriors and Lakers match up, it’s almost a given that James will suit up — which isn’t always the case for NBA superstars in the load management era. Including the postseason in his career, James has played in 67 of 79 games against the Warriors. Eight of those 12 absences have come since the 2018-19 season, when James signed with the Lakers at 34 for presumably the final chapter of his career.
But James’ relationship with the Warriors spans beyond the court. He has mused at various points through the years that he’d like to play with Steph Curry one day. Draymond Green is also considered one of his close friends in the game.
Before this year’s trade deadline, the Warriors reportedly kicked the tires on trading for James, calling Lakers ownership and eventually connecting with James’ agent, only for the 20-time All-Star to ultimately decide to remain with the Lakers.
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“I’m not going to comment on something I can’t comment on, but, in general, I just want to win,” Warriors owner Joe Lacob said in a Feb. 22 ESPN story. “We just want to win. We want to be the best, and we’re going to try whatever tactic it takes to get there. I am not here to screw around. We are not here to screw around. We are not here to be just ‘some team.’ We’re not going to do that. We may fail. Everyone fails. We may fail occasionally, but it will not be for lack of trying.”
However unlikely, it’s possible James never plays again in Chase Center. He contemplated retirement after the Lakers got eliminated from the playoffs last year, and again told reporters over the All-Star break that there aren’t “many seasons” left in his career.
“I don’t know how it’s going to end, but it’s coming,” James said. “It’s coming, for sure.”