When the dust clears, LeBron James continues to be something special

The night began the way they all do now.

A minute before his Lakers tipped off against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, LeBron James walked to the scorer’s table. With every fan in the vicinity raising their cellphones and pointing them in his direction, James reached down, shook a container of chalk on his hands and  tossed it in the air.

Part theater and part battle cry, James’ powder toss has evolved in his 22 seasons in the league.

Early on, he simply coated his hands with the chalk instead of creating the iconic cloud of white dust over his head. There also were a few seasons when he was with the Miami Heat and then back in Cleveland when it no longer was a part of his pregame routine, but he hasn’t missed starting his game that way since he joined the Lakers in 2018. He even did it two seasons ago in the one game in which he came off the bench.

Yet a basketball career is not infinite. And after watching James begin his game this way for more than two decades, many of those pointing their phone cameras at him Saturday night had to be wondering if this would be the last time they’d see James’ chalk cloud rise toward the rafters at Madison Square Garden.

No one knows when James will decide to call it quits. At age 40, he’s achieved everything he set out to achieve and perhaps even more. He’s won four NBA championships with three different teams, he’s been the MVP four times and he’s even gotten the opportunity to play with his son Bronny, though that hasn’t always gone so well.

One of the most impressive things James has accomplished, however, is still happening this season. More often than not, it is painful to watch a great player on the downside of his career. James, however, is playing at an incredibly high level and has his team playing at an incredibly high level.

James is much more Tom Brady than Aaron Rodgers. Two decades in, he’s still an All-Star, he’s still a leader and he’s still as competitive as ever.

He not only  entered Saturday night’s nationally televised game averaging 23.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists but  has his team contending. The Lakers entered the game in fifth place in the Western Conference with a 27-19 record.

“I think it speaks to who he is and his career of 21 years to do it the way he’s done it,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said when asked how James can keep playing at a high level at this point in his career. “Everywhere he’s been, if he’s on the team, they’re a threat. They always have a chance . . . Just the way he can bring out the best not only of himself but everyone around him.”

Like Brady, James’ longevity has a lot to do with meticulous preparation and discipline that includes a regimented game-day routine.

That routine includes an early-morning cold tub treatment — dipping his body into icy water 10 to 15 times — which he had adopted to control inflammation and aid recovery. After attending the team’s morning shootaround — if it has one — James will take a two-hour midday nap  before heading to the arena 4 1/2 hours before tipoff.

At the arena, James will work out for at least 45 minutes doing light cardio, stretching and mobility. He then heads to the court for some solo shooting and dribbling moves. When he returns to the locker room, he likes to sit in his cubicle and listen to music — usually hip-hop and rap, but his playlist includes everything from gospel to jazz to Beethoven.

Yes, Beethoven.

It’s not known what James listened to before Saturday night’s game, but he clearly was in a zone, silently mouthing the words to the music and getting ready for the game.

James has had some of his best games at Madison Square Garden. In his 32 games at the Garden entering Saturday, he averaged 28 points and his team won 23 times.

Early in his career, he had some eye-popping performances. There was a 50-point, 10-assist performance in 2008 and a 52-point, 11-assist night the next season. In 2010, there was a 32-point triple-double. In 2023, he compiled a 28-point triple-double.

It’s no secret that James loves playing on the big stage in New York, because so does the rest of his team, Lakers  coach JJ Reddick said.

“I’m juiced right now,” Reddick said before the game. “We’re all juiced right now. It’s Lakers-Knicks on a Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. There’s nothing better. This is my favorite place to play. Most players. There’s something special about this place.”

And as everyone who watched James’ cloud of chalk float toward the rafters Saturday night could tell you, it’s doubly special when  James comes to town.