LeBron James erased any doubt there may have been over his status to play on Christmas Day against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Los Angeles Lakers star, who sat out the final eight minutes of their season opener on Tuesday after rolling his ankle, told reporters on Thursday he’ll be “ready to go” against the Mavs.
“I’ve never missed a Christmas Day game,” he said, per ESPN. “And I don’t plan on missing one tomorrow.”
James exited Tuesday’s 116-109 win over the Clipper with 7:51 remaining in the game after he rolled his ankle while converging on Clippers center Ivica Zubac with Markieff Morris in the paint.
The Lakers-Mavericks matchup is slated to tip off at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and should feature arguably the best individual matchup of the day when James will go toe-to-toe with Mavericks star Luka Doncic.
“It’s exciting,” Mavs owner Mark Cuban said, per Yahoo! Sports. “It’s a big game playing the champs and when Luka and LBJ match up it’s always something special.”
James, meanwhile, also spoke about what playing on Christmas means to him.
“People have opened their gifts. Everyone is excited. It’s a day of giving for a lot of us,” James said. “And then being at Staples Center, I’ve gotten the opportunity to play here on Christmas as a Laker and also as an opponent. It’s just a beautiful feeling being here.”
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