James, who has missed 17 games this season because of various injuries and most recently sat out five games from late January through early February with swelling in his left knee, has no plans to shut his season down at any point, sources close to James told ESPN. James is committed to play out the season, wherever it goes.
Source: Dave McMenamin @ ESPN

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
LeBron shoots down rumors he might shut it down for season, says Lakers have chance nba.nbcsports.com/2022/03/02/leb… – 11:19 AM Dave McMenamin @mcten
New video: LeBron and the Lakers vow to not give up, even though many of the same issues we’ve seen all season persist and the schedule isn’t getting any easier. My latest essay for @SportsCenter pic.twitter.com/QfEqkerZwz – 11:16 AM Jake Fischer @JakeLFischer
The Lakers’ losses keep mounting. My intel roundup on the cloudy Los Angeles futures for Frank Vogel, Russell Westbrook, Rob Pelinka, and LeBron James, @BR_NBA: bleacherreport.com/articles/10028… – 10:11 AM Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
The Lakers are now seven games below .500
The only other time a team with LeBron James on it was this far below .500 60+ games into the season was his rookie year in 2003-04 – 10:04 AM Michael Beasley @Michael8easley
Until I’m 12ft under I’ll always have a chance… @LeBron James just gave me chills with that one!🔥🔥🔥 – 9:26 AM Justin Kubatko @jkubatko
LeBron James last night:
✅ 26 PTS
✅ 12 REB
✅ 5 AST
James has recorded at least 20p/5r in each of his last 26 games, the longest such streak of his career.
It’s the longest such streak in NBA history by a player age 35 years or older, double that of the next-closest player. pic.twitter.com/azAYVTBroL – 9:21 AM Justin Kubatko @jkubatko
Luka Doncic last night:
✅ 25 PTS
✅ 8 REB
✅ 5 AST
It’s the 121st time Doncic has recorded at least 25p/5r/5a in a game.
The only players in NBA history with more such games through their first four seasons are Oscar Robertson and LeBron James. pic.twitter.com/PUwrxH7uss – 9:11 AM Dave McMenamin @mcten
New story: LeBron James: “Until you stomp me out, cut my head off, bury me 12 feet under, then I got a chance.” Sources tell ESPN that despite any lingering injuries, James has no plans to shut it down and is committed to seeing the Lakers season through es.pn/35CSt5M – 3:37 AM Kyle Goon @kylegoon
“Until you stump me out, cut my head off, bury me 12 feet under, then I got a chance.”
LeBron James and Russell Westbrook still have faith in the Lakers after a close loss to Dallas. Thing is, they’re running out of chances:
ocregister.com/2022/03/01/lak… – 2:15 AM NBA Kicks @NBAKicks
LeBron James goes with the Nike LeBron 19 low at home! #NBAKicks #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/Qp32JN2ux4 – 2:04 AM Callie Caplan @CallieCaplan
Luka Doncic dunked, and the Mavs very much lost it.
Full reaction (and detail for how they erased a LeBron barrage in Q3) here: https://t.co/30S6y1ZgtI pic.twitter.com/wK18HhbdA9 – 1:53 AM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
LeBron: “Until you bury me 12-feet under, I got a chance. That’s my confidence … as long as we got more games to play, we still have a chance … I hate losing … I feel like poop right now. But tomorrow’s a new day, and I’m going to be prepared for the Clippers on Thursday.” – 1:21 AM Brad Townsend @townbrad
LeBron on Lakers’ offensive struggles down the stretch: “We missed shots.” Doesn’t mention Mavs’ defense. – 1:19 AM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
LeBron: “I ride or die with the Lakers faithful. If they boo, I’m with them … if they cheer, I’m with them.” – 1:18 AM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James on the exchange he had with a critical fan two nights ago vs Pelicans pic.twitter.com/4NWH5plwUa – 1:17 AM Kamenetzky Brothers @KamBrothers
LeBron is eating postgame orange slices at the podium. There’s a kid in all of us. AK – 1:16 AM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
LeBron on fans booing: “I ride or die with the Lakers faithful.” – 1:16 AM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James on Russell Westbrook, and how he can help him pic.twitter.com/1QW9Lx8g7s – 1:15 AM StatMuse @statmuse
LeBron James is averaging 29/9/6 on 52% shooting since January 9.
The Lakers are 6-15 in that span. pic.twitter.com/mi3toQGcd3 – 12:42 AM Brad Turner @BA_Turner
Lakers lose 3rd straight game with a 109-104 defeat to Dallas. LeBron James has 266 points, 12 rebounds. – 12:36 AM Dave McMenamin @mcten
The Lakers came all the way back from down 21 early to take a 6-point lead in the 4th Q but the Mavs won, 109-104. The Lakers are 27-34 and have lost 10 of their last 13. LeBron 26p 12r 5a; Melo 20p 3s; Monk 17p 5r 4a; Russ 12p on 5-of-17 shooting 7a 6r. – 12:35 AM StatMuse @statmuse
Luka Doncic iso’ing Rudy Gobert in 3 straight possessions: 0 buckets
Luka Doncic iso’ing LeBron James in 3 straight possessions: 3 buckets pic.twitter.com/WCwSMYQkPm – 12:33 AM Oleh Kosel @OlehKosel
LeBron James out here getting away with all sorts of contact, with a moving screen and then a shove being his latest infractions. – 12:28 AM Brad Townsend @townbrad
LeBron guarding Luka? No biggie. Hits a mini-Dirk one-legger from the baseline. – 12:23 AM Dan Favale @danfavale
lebron staring at russ pic.twitter.com/JOuDfuOOiM – 12:22 AM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron darted Westbrook an annoyed look after he didn’t rotate that resulted in the Mavs having an open look near the rim. Mavs with a 105-100 lead with 3:52 – 12:22 AM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
Monk’s rimmed out on a pair of layups in the 4th Q, with Dallas getting a 3 from Brunson (his 4th) and Luka 2 to get within a point after Westbrook put LAL up 6.
LeBron returns to a 1-point lead with 5:44 to play. – 12:19 AM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
LAL up 97-92 after a Melo 3 from LeBron.
LeBron rests at the 8:00 mark, another critical stretch for LAL until he returns in a couple minutes. – 12:12 AM Kyle Goon @kylegoon
What a turnaround from a crowd perspective: There were a few second quarter boos. On that last possession, the crowd anticipated LeBron’s big shot over Reggie Bullock. He’s got them back in the palm of his hand tonight. – 12:11 AM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
Lakers outscored Dallas 31-14 in the 3rd Q to turn a 15-point halftime deficit into an 87-85 lead entering the fourth quarter.
LAL held the Mavs to 6 of 19 FG’s and forced 7 turnovers, while making 7 3’s on the other end, including 3 from LeBron and 2 from Johnson. – 12:03 AM Jovan Buha @jovanbuha
Third quarter: Lakers 87, Mavs 85
An incredible third-quarter rally from the Lakers, who outscored the Mavs 31-14. This was the reverse of the Pelicans game. LeBron James has 20 points. Malik Monk has 17. Carmelo Anthony has 15. The Lakers have made 13 of 28 3s (46.4%). – 12:02 AM Chris Mannix @SIChrisMannix
Impressive fight shown by the Lakers in the third. Erase a 15-point halftime deficit, headed to the fourth up two. LBJ caught fire from three. – 12:01 AM Brad Townsend @townbrad
LeBron in a lot of ways willed this Lakers comeback. Now he’s on the bench. We’ll see how Mavs respond. – 11:57 PM Kyle Kuzma @kylekuzma
Awwww 💩 Y’all got Bron taking charges 🤣🤣🤣 I see u @LeBron James – 11:56 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
LeBron sits with LAL up 82-80. Key stretch here, with 2:30 to play in the 3rd Q.
LAL went on a 26-9 run in his 9+ minute shift. – 11:56 PM Allen Sliwa @AllenSliwa
LBJ… – 11:49 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
LeBron drilled 3 straight triples, the second two of the difficult variety, to tie the game at 78.
LAL trailed by 21 in the first half. – 11:49 PM Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin
LeBron James is out here hoopin hoopin! – 11:49 PM Bill Oram @billoram
Watched LeBron shoot those from the edge of the logo pregame. Practice game shots, they say. – 11:47 PM Kyle Goon @kylegoon
I do think the Lakers have a chance if LeBron can hit logo threes for the rest of the game – 11:47 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
LAL trail 71-56 at the half.
Dorian Finney-Smith hit 3 3’s in the final 1:41 of the half. The first came on a loose ball that fell into his hands after ‘Melo blocked Luka, the 2nd after LeBron fell down after a transition hoop and didn’t get a call. – 11:18 PM Jovan Buha @jovanbuha
Halftime: Mavericks 71, Lakers 56
The Lakers gave up 41 points in the second quarter and suffered through some fo the effort/execution issues from the Pelicans blowout. LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony lead the Lakers with 11 points each. Luka Doncic has 15 points. – 11:17 PM Brad Townsend @townbrad
Meanwhile LeBron has 6 points. It’s as if he’s facing the 2011 Mavs again. – 11:09 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
A corner 3 from Bazemore, found by LeBron, snapped a 13-0 Mavs run wrapping around the 1st Q break. – 10:49 PM Jovan Buha @jovanbuha
First quarter: Mavericks 30, Lakers 25
Another poor close to a quarter from the Lakers. The small-ball starting group was +0 in 5 minutes together. Malik Monk leads the Lakers with 7 points. LeBron James has 6 points. Luka Doncic has 12 points and 4 rebounds. – 10:45 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
With LeBron on the bench, the Lakers didn’t score for the final 3:26 of the 1st Q, when they led 25-22.
Mavs scored 8 points before the quarter ended, to take a 30-25 lead out of the period. – 10:44 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Just before the game resumed, LeBron James and Luka Doncic shared a strong hug. LeBron has made it a point to guard Luka on a few possessions thus far. – 10:31 PM Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
Great way to cap a special visit with my @csuf fam: Detour to The Crypt to catch Luka and the Mavs against the Lakers, some LeBron at the 5 and a mint arena soundtrack courtesy of Lawrence Tanter’s voice and a vintage organ playlist.
More NBA from me: https://t.co/LGN9cV7Dif pic.twitter.com/bZNmRVApNR – 10:29 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James holding on his left hip after that fall. But he got up pretty quickly. – 10:23 PM Kyle Goon @kylegoon
One interpretation of this lineup tonight — with Stanley, Austin and Malik around LeBron and Russ — is a full buy-in to the youth. Talking about Wenyen Gabriel tonight, Vogel added: “The successful stints this year have been with Bron, Russ, AD and the younger, energetic guys.” – 10:22 PM Dave McMenamin @mcten
Lakers go small ball with LeBron James at the 5, Stanley Johnson at the 4, Austin Reaves at the 3, Malik Monk at the 2 and Russell Westbrook at the 1 to change things up against the Mavs. – 10:18 PM Ethan Strauss @SherwoodStrauss
We got Industry Talk coming up in about an hour with @sportsrapport. Let’s see what’s on the docket…LeBron vs. Oram, Warriors local ratings dominance, maybe WNBA? Maybe Ukraine? And of course, your questions callin.com/room/industry-… – 9:59 PM Jovan Buha @jovanbuha
Lakers’ starters vs. Dallas:
LeBron James
Stanley Johnson
Austin Reaves
Malik Monk
Russell Westbrook – 9:44 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
Back to a small lineup with LeBron at center tonight for LAL:
Westbrook, Monk, Reaves, Johnson and LeBron
It’s the 30th different starting lineup of the season for this injury-plagued group. Johnson is the only Laker with a winning record as a starter (8-6). – 9:41 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James will start at the 5 tonight against the Mavs – 9:31 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James completing his pre-game warmup this time as fans are trickling into the arena pic.twitter.com/azgKvkXi5q – 9:13 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
Frank Vogel said that many of L.A.’s successful stints this season have come with LeBron, Russ AD and the “younger, energetic guys.”
Obviously Davis remains out for now, but that could factor into giving a guy like 24-year-old, 6’9’’ Wenyen Gabriel a look with certain groups. – 8:32 PM Jorge Sierra @hoopshype
🐐 MOST PLAYOFF SERIES LED IN SCORING 🐐
Michael Jordan: 36
LeBron James: 36
There’s a caveat, though: MJ played only 37 series to LeBron’s 49.
Jordan was only outscored once… by Terry Cummings… by one point. – 4:23 PM Callie Caplan @CallieCaplan
🚨 Q&A with Luka Doncic:
— His favorite passes
— Whether February 2022 was the best month of his NBA career
— Playing vs. LeBron for the first time this season
And more here ➡️ https://t.co/JGOndknEgB pic.twitter.com/1buSKwHMQl – 3:41 PM Bob Garcia @bgarciaivsports
Shaquille O’Neal issued a stern warning to the #Lakers about potentially considering trading LeBron James.
#LakeShow #NBA
sportscasting.com/shaquille-onea… – 2:07 PM Rylan Stiles @Rylan_Stiles
Mark Daigneault on LeBron James talking about Sam Presti “LeBron and I see eye to eye on many things. Including that.” – 1:24 PM Joe Mussatto @joe_mussatto
Mark Daigneault was asked about LeBron’s praise of Presti: “LeBron and I see eye-to-eye on a lot of things.” – 1:24 PM Kamenetzky Brothers @KamBrothers
Tuesday’s @LockedOnLakers podcast! We discuss how LeBron James is in serious damage control mode, and question whether anybody within the franchise actually wants to lead the Lakers. #FirstListen @LockedOnNetwork @LockedOnNBAPods
Subscribe. Rate. Thx!
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leb… – 12:46 PM Chris Mannix @SIChrisMannix
NEW @TheCrossover Pod w/@Howard Beck: Is a LeBron trade this offseason realistic? Plus early returns on James Harden in Philly and if there’s a fix for the Knicks bit.ly/2w1G5e2 – 10:41 AM Chris Broussard @Chris_Broussard
Is LeBron really an ‘eater of worlds’ for NBA franchises? Should the Cardinals pay Kyler Murray now? Latest on the MLB negotiations & more! Guests: @Kerry_Kittles30 @jonmorosi
Catch us live weeknights 7-10p ET on @FoxSportsRadio & @iHeartRadio podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the… – 10:24 AM

More on this storyline

Harrison Faigen: LeBron participated in shootaround today, per Frank Vogel. This is only notable because he had practice off yesterday and is listed as “questionable” for tonight. -via Twitter @hmfaigen / February 25, 2022 Ryan Ward: Lakers rule out Carmelo Anthony vs. Warriors as expected. LeBron James and Russell Westbrook are QUESTIONABLE. Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard are PROBABLE. pic.twitter.com/Fe73QdeJtE -via Twitter @RyanWardLA / February 11, 2022 Mike Trudell: Carmelo Anthony is the least likely to play at GSW on Saturday, per Frank Vogel. Sounds like LeBron and Dwight Howard are both in position to play. -via Twitter @LakersReporter / February 11, 2022