Chet Holmgren on LeBron James: “First of all, it’s very impressive. Growing up, I used to play at Life Time a lot. There were a lot of 41-year-olds that weren’t moving too well.”
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Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James received a blunt message from Oklahoma City Thunder star Chet Holmgren recently.
Chet Holmgren has seen enough of LeBron James to know the Los Angeles Lakers are not bringing a normal 41-year-old into their second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Speaking with reporters ahead of Lakers-Thunder, Holmgren was asked about James’ longevity and did not hide his admiration.
“First of all, it’s very impressive,” Holmgren said in a video posted by Clemente Almanza. “Growing up, I used to play at Life Time a lot. There were a lot of 41-year-olds that weren’t moving too well.”
Holmgren did not stop at the joke.
“I think that’s extremely impressive, not only his physical ability but also his mentality to be that focused and locked in that long period of time,” Holmgren continued. “I think that’s impressive. Credit to him for that.”
That respect comes with a catch. Holmgren immediately shifted the conversation back to the task in front of Oklahoma City.
“This series is about us figuring out how the Thunder can beat the Lakers,” Holmgren said.
It was a fitting answer before a series built around contrast. The Thunder are the West’s No. 1 seed, deep, young and trying to defend their championship. The Lakers are leaning heavily on the oldest star in the league, with Luka Dončić still facing an uncertain injury timeline.
Chet Holmgren on LeBron James: “First of all, it’s very impressive. Growing up, I used to play at Life Time a lot. There were a lot of 41-year-olds that weren’t moving too well.”
James just finished off another reminder that the usual aging curve has never really applied to him.
The Lakers closed out the Houston Rockets with a 98-78 Game 6 win on May 1, advancing to face the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. James led Los Angeles with 28 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, scoring 18 points in the first half as the Lakers took control of the elimination game.
For the series, James averaged 23.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.3 assists over six games, according to StatMuse. He played 38.7 minutes per game, another number that stands out given where he is in his career.
James was born on December 30, 1984, making him 41 during this postseason. He joined the Lakers in 2018, meaning he was 33 when he made the move to Los Angeles and has now spent eight seasons with the franchise.
That timeline matters because this is no longer just about how long James has lasted. It is about how much the Lakers are still asking him to do.
Without Doncic available, James remains the Lakers’ primary organizer, late-clock option and emotional stabilizer. Against Houston, Los Angeles needed his scoring early, his passing throughout and his defensive discipline to close the series before a potential Game 7.
That is what makes Holmgren’s comments more than routine praise. Oklahoma City can respect James’ résumé and still understand the series goal: make every possession harder on him than Houston did.
The Lakers’ biggest swing factor remains Doncic, but there is still no clean return date.
Lake Show Life cited ESPN’s Brian Windhorst as saying Doncic was “not close” and still needed to go through a ramp-up process that includes 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 work before returning. Windhorst said Doncic was unlikely to be available at the front end of the Thunder series, with at least another “week to 10 days” mentioned as a minimum window.
That does not mean Doncic is officially out for the entire series. It does mean the Lakers cannot build their early-game plan around him.
For Los Angeles, that puts more pressure on Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and the rest of the supporting cast to punish Oklahoma City for loading up on James. Hachimura gave the Lakers a major lift in Game 6 against Houston, scoring 21 points and hitting 5 of 7 from three-point range.
Against the Thunder, the Lakers will need that kind of shot-making to travel. Oklahoma City can throw waves of length and athleticism at James, and Holmgren’s rim protection gives the Thunder another layer behind the point-of-attack defenders.
That is why Doncic’s timeline looms over the series. The Lakers have already survived one round without him. Surviving the Thunder without him, or with him limited, is a much bigger ask.
The NBA has Game 1 of Lakers-Thunder set for Tuesday, May 5, at 8:30 p.m. ET in Oklahoma City. Game 2 is Thursday, May 7, at 9:30 p.m. ET, also in Oklahoma City.
The series then shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Saturday, May 9, at 8:30 p.m. ET and Game 4 on Monday, May 11, at 10:30 p.m. ET.
If necessary, Game 5 will be Wednesday, May 13, in Oklahoma City; Game 6 will be Saturday, May 16, in Los Angeles; and Game 7 will be Monday, May 18, in Oklahoma City.
That spacing gives James a few days after the Houston closeout, but once the series begins, the Lakers will be operating on a tight playoff rhythm. For a team waiting on Doncic and asking James to carry another heavy workload, the calendar is not a small detail.
Holmgren’s message was respectful. The Thunder’s plan will not be. Oklahoma City’s challenge is to turn admiration for James’ longevity into pressure on every possession. The Lakers’ challenge is to make sure the 41-year-old still has enough help to make the series about more than survival.
Erik Anderson is an award-winning sports journalist covering the NBA, MLB and NFL for Heavy.com. He also focuses on the trading card market. His work has appeared in nationally-recognized outlets including The New York Times, Associated Press , USA Today, and ESPN. More about Erik Anderson
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