Lakers’ LeBron James allays concerns after playing in Olympics ahead of his 22nd year | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

LeBron James is 39 years old and will turn 40 in December. He’s also coming off a summer in which he played a prominent role in Team USA’s gold medal win in the men’s basketball tournament at the Paris Olympics, which increased his summer workload.

But despite these factors, James isn’t worried about his body breaking down any time soon, and in fact he feels like the Summer Games have helped him progress faster in his offseason preparations.

James added that he is not yet thinking about his plans for the future beyond the upcoming season.

“I haven’t thought about what the future holds,” he told reporters. “I just live in the moment. Especially with Bronny here, I don’t want to take this moment for granted. This is a moment I might enjoy a little more.”

James certainly didn’t look like an out of the woods player last season as he averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game while shooting 54 percent from the field and 41 percent scored from three assists.

He was also named MVP of the men’s basketball tournament in Paris after posting 14.2 points, 8.5 assists and 6.8 rebounds per contest for Team USA while winning his third Olympic gold medal.

The Lakers had a quiet offseason, essentially keeping the same core around star duo James and Anthony Davis. Granted, it’s possible the Lakers could make some noise as the season progresses — general manager Rob Pelinka said the team would need about 30 games to assess where it stands and make improvements from there.

“We would make a trade involving either pick if it leads to sustained Lakers excellence,” general manager Rob Pelinka said he told reporters last week regarding the 2029 and 2031 first-round picks the team is currently eligible to trade. “If we felt this was the right thing to do, we would use a selection for even a minor upgrade.”

But for now, the Lakers will go as far as James and AD can take them. And James appears to be physically prepared to withstand another serious challenge.