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Amid the Los Angeles Lakers' struggles this season, superstar forward LeBron James knew he had to take matters into his own hands, leading to a 47-point effort in a 130-121 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.

According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, James suggested that he had to take his offensive production to the next level in order to get the Lakers back on track, saying: "I've been scoring 30 and it hasn't worked, so ... try 40. And we got a win. It's math."

Making the performance even more impressive is the fact that LeBron pulled it off on his 38th birthday.

Friday's win was a huge one for L.A. since it had lost five of its previous six games while Anthony Davis has been on the shelf with a foot injury.

The Lakers improved to 15-21 with the victory, leaving them in 13th place in the Western Conference, three games out of the final postseason play-in spot.

Los Angeles has a chance to be a playoff contender if AD can get healthy and James can continue playing at the level he showcased Friday, but it won't be easy for the 38-year-old veteran to continue pouring in 40 points per night.

LeBron has been his usual spectacular self when healthy and in the lineup this season, though, averaging 28.5 points. 8.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists, in addition to shooting 50.6 percent from the field.

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham called James "nothing short of phenomenal" and "amazing" for what he did against the Hawks, especially when considering how long he has been performing at an elite level.

Per McMenamin, the 18 years and 278 days between LeBron's first and most-recent 40-point efforts in an NBA game surpassed the record previously held by the legendary Michael Jordan.

James playing as well as he is at 38 is almost unprecedented in the annals of NBA history, but it is essentially a necessity in order for the Lakers to have any hope of making the playoffs.

A trade to shake up the supporting cast ahead of the deadline could get the Lakers closer to contention, but even then, LeBron and Davis will undoubtedly be the key to how far L.A. goes this season.

Manny Pacquiao is returning to the boxing ring.

At the Rizin 40 event Saturday, the legendary fighter announced he signed a deal with the promotion that will have him compete in 2023.

"I have agreed with Rizin to fight next year, the date will soon be announced and also my opponent that Rizin will choose," he said (via MMA Fighting's Damon Martin). "I'm open and excited to fight a Japanese fighter."

Rizin has partnered with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2018 and again this past September. Both of those bouts were exhibitions, so that will presumably be the plan for Pacquiao as well.

The 44-year-old hasn't fought professionally since August 2021, when he lost a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas. He had taken a two-year hiatus from boxing before that to focus on his political career in his native Phillipines.

Like Mayweather, Pacquiao has begun pivoting to lucrative exhibitions in lieu of padding his 62-8-2 career record. Most recently, he earned a unanimous decision over DK Yoo on Dec. 11.

The former eight-division world champion has expressed the hope of fighting Mayweather again to avenge his 2015 defeat but questioned whether the feeling was mutual.

"I don't think he will do a rematch with me," he told FightHype.com on Dec. 8 (h/t Bad Left Hook's Wil Esco). "I don't think so. What I thought is that he's scared to death to fight again, and that's my analysis and thought on the rematch with him."

For now, Pacquiao's attention will be diverted elsewhere since he said he'll oppose a Japanese fighter of Rizin's choosing. If the event proves to be a big enough spectacle, perhaps that will pique Mayweather's interest.

LeBron James might not be in a celebratory mood as he tries to find answers for the 14-21 Los Angeles Lakers, but fans are showering the future Hall of Famer with praise on his 38th birthday for what he's accomplished in 20 NBA seasons.

Despite the Lakers' struggles, James is playing at a high level. He's shooting 49.8 percent, ranks ninth in scoring average (27.8 points per game) and is tied for 14th in assists (6.6) and tied for 30th in rebounds (8.1).

Fans took to social media to show appreciation for James' career and how he's evolved since being the "kid from Akron" on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 17 years old.

This is the first season when James has started to acknowledge his age and that his time in the NBA will end sooner than later. Nike debuted a commercial in October in which the four-time NBA Finals MVP took on "Father Time."

James is one of 10 players in NBA history who has played at least 20 seasons. No one in that group played more than 22 seasons. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Jamal Crawford all retired after their 20th season.

"I don't have a number," James told reporters after Wednesday's loss to the Miami Heat when asked how many more seasons he will play. "I know as long as my mind stays in it, I can play at this level for a minute. Now, that's up to my mind. My body is going to be OK because if my mind is into it, I will make sure my body is taken care of and I'll continue to put in the work."

James is only 574 points away from tying Abdul-Jabbar on the NBA's all-time scoring list. If he doesn't miss time and maintains his scoring average this season, he will move into the top spot in February.

Among the notable accomplishments on James' resume are four NBA titles in 10 trips to the Finals. His teams played in the Finals in eight consecutive seasons from 2011 to 2018.

He led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their only championship and engineered the only 3-1 series comeback in NBA Finals history against the Golden State Warriors in 2016.

James is one of five players to win the NBA MVP award at least four times. His four NBA Finals MVP awards rank second all-time behind Michael Jordan (six).