LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James remains "locked in" on basketball with his 38th birthday fast approaching, but the four-time National Basketball Association champion made it clear Wednesday he wants to be a title contender.

James, who turns 38 on Friday, reflected on his career after another frustrating Lakers defeat, this one to the Miami Heat.

With superstar Anthony Davis sidelined by injury, the Lakers have dropped five of their last six games and are 14-21 this season.

It's not the kind of situation that James — still averaging nearly 30 points per game — wants to be in.

"I'm a winner, and I want to win and give myself a chance to win and still compete for championships," James said.

"That has always been my passion, that has always been my goal since I entered the league as an 18-year-old kid out of Akron, Ohio."

"And I know it takes steps to get there, but once you get there and know how to get there, playing basketball at this level just to be playing basketball is not in my DNA. It's not in my DNA anymore."

Even as the Lakers are struggling just to put themselves in playoff position, James is still averaging almost 30 points per game and is on track to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league's all-time leading scorer, perhaps in early February.

"If you look at the history of the game, it doesn't seem that many have played at this level with this many years and this many miles and things on their resume," he said.