Lakers news: LeBron James joins Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird in prestigious triple-double club

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James just joined Kobe Bryant and Larry Bird in a prestigious triple-double club for players 35 and up.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James made a bit of history on Wednesday night thanks to another outstanding performance in a 117-107 victory against the Phoenix Suns.

James logged another triple-double in this one, putting up 31 points (11-of-21 from the field, 8-of-12 from the charity stripe), 13 rebounds, and 12 assists. In the process, he entered an elite triple-double club:

The @Lakers LeBron James is just the third player in NBA history to record a 30-point triple-double after his 35th birthday (age in years-days):

36-099 Kobe Bryant (31/11/12)
35-099 Larry Bird (49/14/12)
35-002 James (31/13/12) pic.twitter.com/bAEEXOr5Cs

— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) January 2, 2020

Father Time may be catching up to LeBron James, but there is no doubt that he is still one of the best players in the entire league today. Wednesday night's vintage showing was an excellent reminder that James is still absolutely capable of such performances despite his advanced age.

More importantly, James led L.A. to a third straight victory. The Lakers are now 27-7 and still have a firm grip of the top spot in the Western Conference. They are 3.5 games ahead of the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers.

L.A. is set to play three games over the next six days, but it is going to be a relatively easy schedule for them ahead as they face off against three teams that are well below the .500 mark. The Lakers host Anthony Davis' former team, the New Orleans Pelicans, on Friday, followed by a matchup against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. L.A. ends its three-game home spell on Tuesday against the New York Knicks.

Then again, we all know that there are no easy games in the NBA, especially considering the fact that the Pelicans and Knicks are currently on four-game and three-game winning streaks, respectively. Nonetheless, there is no doubt that LeBron James and company will come in prepared and ready for battle after Lakers head coach Frank Vogel delivered a message Wednesday stating the team needs to bring it every night, no matter the opponent.