Tiger Woods lauds LeBron James longevity, seeks his own late hurrah

Tiger Woods mirrored LeBron James’ NBA career scoring record on Tuesday, marveling at the Lakers’ continued dominance even as they try to extend the superstar’s own career.

“That record, we thought we’d never beat it,” Woods said of James’ move past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the top of the NBA’s all-time scoring list — a spot Abdul-Jabbar held for 39 years.

“What LeBron did, and the number of minutes he played, no one had ever done before at that age. To be able to play all five positions, that’s something that hasn’t been done at this level for a long time.

Asked about similar possibilities in the world of golf, Woods said the record 82 US PGA Tour titles he shared with Sam Snead.

At the age of 47, with 15 major championships on his resume and after injuries that left their mark on him, he is not giving up on adding to that number – even though he knows his time is running out.

Of course, they’ve been there before. Woods said he felt he could overcome the torn anterior cruciate ligament he ruptured in 2007, which required surgery in 2008.

He soldiered through a torn Achilles tendon and neck and knee injuries in 2011.

He said he first wondered if he would make a comeback after undergoing spinal fusion surgery in 2017 to address the issues that plagued him.

Now he is dealing with a lower leg injury suffered in a February 2021 car accident, playing a drastically reduced schedule.

“I had a few knee surgeries early in my career, but nothing like what I had on my back,” Woods said. “Coming back, man, it’s a tough surgery and tough rehab.

“That’s when I started to realize the mortality of this game and just sports in general … there was a time when some of my friends in the NFL, if you were afraid of getting hit, you took one little flinch from me. I didn’t want to get hit.

“Well, when I come back, I don’t want to shoot certain shots because they might end up on the ground, so it’s very difficult.”

Woods notes that he has at least some of the complications his NFL teammates face when playing contact sports.

He marveled at the career of seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, who retired for good after returning for his final NFL campaign last year.

‘I play to win’

And he remembers quarterback John Elway’s emotional departure to the NFL after winning two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos in the 1990s.

“He couldn’t physically do it anymore,” Woods said.

He hadn’t thought he was there yet.

“I don’t have a 300-pound guy on top of me,” he said. “We have the ability to pick and choose and play longer.

“We’ve seen my hero, Arnold Palmer, hell, he’s played in 50 straight Masters, 50 straight!”

Woods said emphatically that he will not get to that number, but he will keep competing for as long as his body allows him, and as long as he thinks that he can challenge to win.

“When I play, I play to win,” he said.

“There will be a time when my body won’t allow me to do it again, and it might be sooner rather than later, but wrapping up that transition and being an ambassador and just trying to get out here with the guys. , no, that’s not in my DNA.”

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