LeBron James is in his 23rd NBA season, still suiting up for the Lakers. No one’s played longer in league history. He just made another All-Star team, which says a lot that he’s still among the game’s elite.

But for the first time since he was a rookie, LeBron isn’t considered a top-10 player. His skills have faded a bit over the last couple of years. Doesn’t matter to him, though. He still thinks he can take over any game, any night. That part of him hasn’t changed at all.

After blowing out the Mavericks by 20, LeBron didn’t hold back. The man’s 41, but he said, “I’ve never been sorry at basketball. I’ve been good ever since I started playing it. I just try to keep it going, as I said, and work on my game. I was out early today, working on my game. I give all the praise to the people before us, to the game gods, basketball gods, and things of that nature. Any given night, if I need to turn it on, I can turn it on.”

He really believes it. LeBron’s confidence is untouched; he still sees himself as the guy, the best in the world, whenever he decides to flip that switch. The reality? He can’t do it every night anymore. Not at 41.

The Lakers have the NBA’s 11th-best offence, and that’s partly because LeBron, when he feels like it, still charges the lane like nobody else. He’s convinced he can still lead a championship team, even now, with Luka Dončić on the roster.

But time isn’t on his side. LeBron’s future after this season is up in the air. He’s got a player option if he wants to stick around, or he could finally call it a career. Judging by the way he talks, he’s not ready to walk away; he still feels like one of the best when he’s locked in.

Nobody knows what jersey he’ll wear next year, but he’s enjoyed his run in LA. One thing’s clear: he’s chasing that fifth ring, the one that’s eluded him since the Lakers won in the Bubble. This might be his best shot to do it in Los Angeles.

If the Lakers want to make it happen, they’ll need LeBron, Luka, and Austin Reaves to stay healthy. That’s their only real shot at another title.

Dillon Brooks just picked up a one-game suspension from the NBA; his 16th technical foul of the season finally caught up with him. If you’ve followed Brooks at all, this probably doesn’t surprise you. The guy’s known for playing right up to the edge, stirring things up on the court, and, honestly, not backing down from anyone. This latest tech happened in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder, after a run-in with referee James Williams. That was all the NBA needed to drop the hammer.

The league released a pretty standard statement: “Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks has been suspended one game without pay for receiving his 16th technical foul of the 2025-26 season,” signed off by James Jones, who runs basketball ops for the Suns. Because of the suspension, Brooks will lose a chunk of change, $121,403, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

After the game, Brooks sounded tired of the whole thing. “I had a ref tell me that I play the victim, so I ain’t talking no more about that,” he told reporters. “Yeah. He said I’m playing victim all the time. And when I don’t play victim, I’m the bad guy.” When pressed, Brooks didn’t hold back. “If you’re going to be consistently bad, then be consistently bad throughout the whole game. Don’t try to fix it during the game. Don’t try to even out foul calls or whatever it may be. If you’re going to be bad, be bad the whole game.”

The NBA isn’t budging on this one. Brooks will sit out the Suns’ first game after the All-Star break. Hitting 16 technicals in a season triggers an automatic one-game suspension. And it doesn’t stop there; every two more technicals means another game on the bench, no pay.

Brooks is actually having a career year in Phoenix, averaging 21.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, shooting 44.1% from the field, 34.3% from three, and 85.6% from the line. But now, with this suspension hanging over him, he’ll have to rein it in if he wants to stay on the court.

This season’s been wild with NBA suspensions, not just Brooks. The massive brawl between the Pistons and Hornets stands out. Four players got tossed and then suspended: Isaiah Stewart (aka Beef Stew) and Jalen Duren for Detroit, and Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate for Charlotte. Stewart got seven games for charging off the bench and into the fight. Duren, who just made his first All-Star team, got two games but will still play in the All-Star Game. Bridges and Diabate each got four games for “fighting and escalating the altercation”, per the league.

And that’s not all. Jaxson Hayes of the Lakers got suspended for a game after shoving a mascot. Yes, really. He apologised but still had to sit. Rudy Gobert picked up a one-game ban for racking up too many flagrant fouls. Dennis Schroder, back when he was with Sacramento, drew a three-game suspension for a post-game incident with Luka Donci, who he reportedly tried to take a swing at in the arena tunnel. Jose Alvarado and Mark Williams both got two games for fighting earlier in the year.

Then there’s Paul George, who got hit with a whopping 25-game suspension for violating the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. That’s the longest one in recent memory.

As for who’s next in the technical foul race, Luka Doncic has 13, Stewart has 12, and Draymond Green sits at 11. If any of them hit 16, expect a similar one-game vacation from the league.