NBA (DR)

After winning a third straight victory this Wednesday against Memphis, the Lakers must already turn their attention to the trip to San Antonio that awaits them.

This is what LeBron James has done with a heavy heart in recent hours.

The closer he gets to his 40th birthday, the better he seems to get.

 LeBron James would probably be the first to validate a metaphor with wine, of which he is a great lover and consumer.

In any case, his 22nd season in the NBA has everything of a new great vintage for the moment.

And it is certainly not his performance delivered this Wednesday evening, against the Grizzlies, which allows us to affirm the opposite.

For the third consecutive meeting, the King, author of 35 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists, finished with a triple-double synonymous with victory for the Lakers (128-123).

It was therefore with a feeling of satisfaction that he was able to end his evening and answer questions from journalists in his team’s locker room.

Questions that focused in particular on the match that will oppose him this Friday… to the Spurs .

LeBron James’ touching speech before facing the Spurs

For their first NBA Cup game of the season, the Lakers will travel to San Antonio and will have to face a Victor Wembanyama in full confidence.

The young French center is indeed coming off a 50-point game against the Wizards and therefore risks offering a great adversity to LeBron & Co.

But rather than anticipate this, the latter preferred to dwell on the worrying news of a certain Gregg Popovich:

LeBron James: To be honest, I haven’t even thought about that game yet.

Of course, I’m looking forward to it on Friday, because winning in San Antonio is never easy.

But to me, there are much more important things going on there right now, and that involves my dear friend, Coach Pop.

I’m going to think about him a lot on the way there tomorrow.

I will also think of him during the match on Friday and I wish him the best regarding his health.

I hope to see him again soon, without necessarily being on the sidelines. That is the most important thing for me.

Absent since early November for reasons long kept secret, Popovich was the subject of great concern within the league.

In the end, it turns out that the legendary Spurs coach suffered a “mild stroke,” which explains his absence from the field and the extended interim of his assistant, Mitch Johnson.

For now, it is impossible to know when he will resume his duties.

James and the Lakers should not cross his path in the coming hours, which does not prevent the Chosen One from sending him his thoughts.

While determined to win in San Antonio on Friday, LeBron James admits that he has not yet focused on the match that awaits him. The reason is Gregg Popovich’s health, which has worried him as much as all NBA fans recently.