BOSTON — Hopefully, that’s not the last one.
LeBron James is 40 years old and the Lakers only visit Boston once a year. So, every time he walks off the court at the TD Garden now, there’s a very realistic possibility that it might be the last time he plays against the Celtics.
James' legacy is immortal, but his body is human. At some point, he’s going to call it a career.
But it would be disappointing if that last game was Saturday night’s 111-101 Boston win. James asked out of the game with a groin injury with 6:44 left and couldn’t help the Lakers attempt to finish off their late comeback.
This rivalry deserves a better finish than that.
The LeBron-Celtics rivalry is different than the Lakers-Celtics rivalry. Boston hated the superstars in purple and gold long before LeBron showed up. The Celtics had memorable showdowns with LeBron on the Cavaliers and the Heat well before he ever reached the West Coast.
James made the Celtics better. It was unstated and may have been subconscious, but the Celtics have spent money and made trades with James in mind. For almost 20 years, being good enough to win a championship meant being good enough to beat LeBron James.
As Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown sought their own paths to stardom, James has been the individual standard. When Tatum dunked on James in the 2018 Eastern Conference Final, Tatum stopped being a guy who was considered a potential star and became part of the league’s constellation of elite players.
Celtics fans hated him for a long time, but for the more rational and knowledgeable ones, that hate has mellowed in the same begrudging appreciation good Red Sox fans had for Derek Jeter.
Tatum cherished his friendship with James and what the battles since have meant to his development.
“I’ve been watching LeBron play my whole life. Playoff battles. Some good regular-season battles against each other. Somebody I have a really great relationship with. Won a gold medal with each other this summer,” Tatum said. “Just respect the guys that came before you and paved the way. Can’t say enough good things about obviously what he’s done and accomplished and what he means to the game of basketball.
“Those moments that you get to play against him, you should cherish and you should go out there and compete,” he continued. “Somebody I got a lot of respect for. You earn respect by going at those guys. He wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Lakers Celtics Basketball
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) makes an outside shot over Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, March 8, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)AP
James isn’t as dominant as he once was, but he’s plenty good enough to be the best player on a contender. He was headed for another all-time performance on Saturday at the Garden before the injury.
He was most of the way to a triple-double at halftime with 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. When he hopped off uncomfortably with the groin injury, he still finished with 22 points, 14 boards and nine assists.
He’s as good an ol' man basketball player as the game has ever seen. But after the game, ESPN reported that James' groin injury would likely sideline him for weeks, not days. He’ll probably be back for the playoffs in just over a month, but before that he’ll battle through more rehab and therapy.
Young guys work to get better. Old guys work to get back.
James has said he doesn’t know how long he’ll keep playing, but he’s acknowledged it won’t be a long time. Another few weeks of rigorous rehab is exactly the sort of thing that can convince an athlete that enough is enough.
Whether it’s this year or one of the next couple, the end of the LeBron era is coming. For Boston, it’s worth rooting for the fairytale matchup: Celtics vs. LeBron in the NBA Finals to see who gets bragging rights ever after.