James: We are a winning family. After turning 40, I set two goals.

On March 31 Beijing time, the Lakers defeated the Wizards 120-101 at home. James played 33 minutes, scoring 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists with 8 out of 16 shots. After the game, he accepted an interview with the media.

Reporter: LeBron, first, if you don’t mind, could you confirm the story Bronny told us? During the Miami period in 2014, you two had a one-on-one matchup. He made several consecutive shots, and then you said, “This is the last time playing.” After that, you directly shattered a篮板, is that true?

James: Yes, we had a basketball hoop on our family driveway. I drove past him and dunked directly. I didn’t intentionally break the glass, but it indeed shattered.

So was he in a hot shooting streak at that time, and you wanted to give him a reminder? Or what happened?

He made two shots, but that was just little Bronny during the Miami period. At that time, I was basically unbeatable, so he couldn’t possibly win. I really didn’t mean to shatter it, and later had to buy another one… Did I actually buy it? I don’t think I did. Anyway, that’s how it went, and we never played again after that.

Alright, let’s talk about tonight’s game?

Well, we played professionally and focused on completing the task. Regardless of the opponent, we are building habits for the playoffs. This victory was quite good for us.

You often say you might not truly enjoy the present moments, but you achieved another triple-double tonight. Can you savor these moments a bit now?

This year and last year, I indeed have more moments where I can immerse myself in the present. It’s pretty cool; being able to perform like this at this stage of my career is really great and humbling. This is the result of continuous effort.

You mentioned multiple times this season that you really love golf now. When did you start? Why do you enjoy it so much? How much does it help with team cohesion?

I never believed in “golf addiction” before; people always talked about it, but I didn’t believe it. However, I told myself that after turning 40, I would do things I hadn’t done before, even things that might feel uncomfortable. I never played golf before and didn’t pay much attention to it.

After turning 40, I set two goals: golf and chess. Chess hasn’t started yet; currently, I’m focusing on golf. I invested a lot of time, truly fell in love with the sport, and appreciate it. I love its difficulty and the challenge. No matter how long it takes, I will continue practicing. I’m really enjoying it now.

Many people in our team play golf. The best experience was in Orlando, where we thoroughly defeated the coaching staff; that feeling was awesome.

Certainly, you would hope Luka Doncic could play, but in situations like tonight where he was absent, Kennard scored 19 points, Jackson was perfect from the field, and Ayton also shot flawlessly. How does such experience help for the playoffs?

When players perform like this during the regular season, they can step up in crucial moments. I’m not saying I hope this situation occurs in the playoffs. But in the playoffs, different people might deliver key performances every night. Doncic will play his game, Reaves will play his, and so will others.

Tonight, our interior players shot 13 for 13, grabbed 14 rebounds with 5 blocks, and made 1 out of 1 three-pointer; the performance was perfect. Kennard was shooting crazily again. Everyone who played performed well.

Can you describe the feeling on Saturday? Watching Bronny lead the South Bay Lakers to clinch the division title, while watching Bryce reach the Final Four, both events happening about an hour apart.

It was fantastic. I watched Bryce’s game on the tablet; my wife and I were in the living room, with the tablet showing Bronny’s game and the TV showing Bryce’s. Watching both simultaneously. Seeing Bronny excel while watching Bryce and his teammates celebrate reaching the Final Four. Bronny has been improving steadily. I really have nothing to worry about.

This is something you haven’t experienced in your career—you entered the NBA directly, didn’t play in the NCAA, and missed the chance to see your children cut the nets and experience Final Four moments.

I’m happy for him, but my decision back then was absolutely right too. I cut the nets three times for state championships in high school; that was enough for me.

If both of them win championships in the next two weeks or so? Bronny in the G League and Bryce in college, would that motivate you?

We are a winning family. Not just in sports, but in life as well. These achievements are icing on the cake; we are grateful.

With the team performing so well over the past month, how do you feel about the team’s readiness for a championship push now?

We still have regular-season games to play and need to continue improving. We know our capabilities but won’t take shortcuts. The process is important: finish the regular season strong, the next opponent is tomorrow’s game, and there are road trips ahead. When the playoffs arrive, we will treat it as a completely new season to fight for.

Speaking of this, compared to last year around this time, what aspects of this team are different and more prepared? Last year you also won many tough battles around this period.

I can’t even recall how it was last year around this time; it was too chaotic, felt like experiencing three seasons in one year. There were too many changes last year; I can’t remember what state we were in then.

Now we are in great form, with excellent chemistry. Everyone likes each other, willing to play for one another, and gets along well off the court. This is a very tight-knit team. We need to maintain this state until the end of the regular season and carry it into the playoffs.