'Timeless' LeBron shows no signs of slowing down in 16th season

MIAMI - LeBron James stopped worrying about his place in history long ago. His legacy has been secure for years.

The argument about where he ranks, whether or not he's the best player to ever step on a basketball court, will continue forever and there will never be a definitive answer.

That is, unless he keeps doing things like this.

In his 16th season, the 33-year-old James still makes the game look absurdly easy.

The latest entry on the long list of his unforgettable nights came on Sunday, when James scored 51 points and led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 113-97 win over the Miami Heat.

He's only the second player to score at least 50 in a game this deep into an NBA career; the other is Kobe Bryant, in his final game, and that was aided by 50 shot attempts.

"I've always been a guy to let the game talk for itself, speak for itself," James said. "My body of work speaks for itself, still to this day, 16 years in."

He paused for a second, breaking into a big smile before adding:

"If there's ever a discussion, games like this will make sure you figure it out."

Bryant had gone more than seven years without a 50-point game before April 13, 2016, when he went 22-for-50 and scored 60 points at Staples Center as the Lakers faithful roared for his work one final time.

James hadn't gone six months since his last 50-point night; it was Game 1 of last season's NBA Finals, the one where JR Smith forgot the score in the final seconds, dribbling out when he should have shot or passed, as Cleveland lost to Golden State on the way to a sweep.

James was methodical on Sunday; he was 19 for 31 from the field, 6 for 8 from 3-point range, getting to 51 points on a deep 3-pointer in the final seconds with the outcome already long decided.