LeBron James had a triple-double on Thursday as the Lakers beat the Mavericks, 124-104. It was James's 124th career triple-double of his career, which is a lot, but still leaves him quite a few short behind Magic Johnson who is in fourth place on the all-time triple-doubles list. However, it was still a historically significant triple-double as James became the oldest player to ever accomplish the feat and for once, the record he broke for doing something as an old guy wasn't his own.
Karl Malone recorded a triple-double when he was 40 years and 127 days old. Yesterday James was 41 years and 44 days old.
LEBRON JAMES MAKES HISTORY!
— NBA (@NBA) February 13, 2026
👑 28 PTS
👑 10 REB
👑 12 AST
He is the only player in NBA history to record a triple-double at age 41! pic.twitter.com/zGVySA4rfK
Malone is the only other player to record a triple-double after turning 39, besides James who has now done it 14 times since he turned 39. He now has four triple-doubles in his 40's. He has recorded 18 of the 21 "oldest" triple-doubles in NBA history. Only James, Malone, Tim Duncan and Elvin Hayes have ever recorded a triple-double after turning 38.
Despite the fact that LeBron is doing this at what some might consider an "advanced age," he doesn't seem to feel that way. After the game he was asked about the joy he played with during the game and said he was just a "goofy ass 41-year old kid."
LeBron: "I'm a goofy ass 41-year-old kid. That's just me. They pay me to play basketball. Why wouldn't I be happy about that?" pic.twitter.com/6D2lAyxM3F
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) February 13, 2026
"I get to play basketball," said James. "They pay me to play basketball. Why wouldn't I be happy about that? I get to be with my son and my teammates and all these unbelievable fans that have watched me throughout my career and they give me all the support and love. I enjoy... I enjoyed my, I don't even know, is it work? Is it? I enjoy what I do so when you see me on the court, when you see me in the back, I just love what I do. It's pretty cool."
Next up for LeBron is his 22nd NBA All-Star Game on Sunday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as LeBron James Reflects on How Much He Loves His Job After Historic Achievement.
