LeBron James wants to play all 82 games this season
By Dave Daniels
LeBron James aims to do something he has never done before in his NBA career: play all 82 regular season games.
LeBron James is at the center of attention in the NBA this year for a lot of reasons, but one compelling fact about him has flown under the radar so far. He has played every game this season and stated publicly that he wants to participate in all 82.
That’s a feat he’s never achieved, and he has a coach in Tyronn Lue who would absolutely let his superstar go for it.
“I told you I want to play every game,” James said to ESPN. “If my health continues as it is right now, then that’s what it is.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers look like a completely different team from last season. They’re even an altered squad from the beginning of this season. They traded six players before the All-Star break and replaced those with four rotation guys.
LeBron probably wants to finish off the year to continue getting those players acclimated to the system in place in Cleveland, because that will give the team its best chance when the playoffs arrive. Lue might consider resting James for a game or two once the postseason seedings are locked, but that’s a decision LeBron is clearly resistant to.
To play all 82 games this year would be impressive for James, especially at his age of 33, but it isn’t without precedent for a megastar. Michael Jordan played all 82 games in a season for the Washington Wizards, and he was much older than James at that point.
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Lue has been calling James “Benjamin Button” lately, and that’s a hilarious way to think about it. LeBron might take off a game or two once his new teammates get comfortable, but he’s also the type of person who tends to follow through on his goals. So don’t put any money on it.