Despite not being teammates and the fact that they are both contenders for this season's NBA games, LeBron James still thinks Kobe's recent poor performance has nothing to do with the LA Lakers star's aging issues.

According to Akron Beacon Journal, James does not think Kobe is struggling because of his age, saying, "It has zero to do with his age. Zero. I think at one point in my career, in my 20's, I felt like I sucked. It's all a personal challenge."

If this is James' way of encouraging the aging player, Kobe thinks otherwise. The NBA star even acknowledged his poor performance, saying, "I sucked."

When asked whether he's going to play basketball for as long as he can, James said that every player's challenge is to play for as long as their health and age allows them. James thinks that he will play basketball for as long as he can, but he'll make sure that he won't be an embarrassment to his family and fans.

Just recently, James celebrated a new record after he was hailed the youngest player to ever reach 25,000 points. Kobe previously achieved the award when he was 31 years old. James, on the other hand, took it at the age of 30.

James credits his excellent health condition for all the achievements he's been able to get. He also said that by being able to play for two incredible teams, mainly the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers, encouraged him to watch over his health and keep his physical condition at its best shape possible. 

SB Nation reports that Kobe has been struggling in the court, and the basketball star is pretty much aware of it. The Lakers posted their third straight loss when they failed to win over the Dallas team on Sunday. Baxter Holmes posted Kobe's statement on Twitter. In the statement, Kobe said, "I'm 200th best player in the league right now. I freaking suck."

Shooting 31 percent on the floor, Kobe only managed to achieve six of his recorded 29 attempts of three-pointers this season. Some of the easy shots, where fans expect Kobe to execute them easily, managed to stop his defenses. He seemed to struggle even in doing simple shots, and none of it impressed the Lakers star. Unless they start winning their games, the Lakers team is bound to meet the same fate as last season.

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