![]() ![]() The other five NBA players to reach 21 seasons - Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Robert Parish and Kevin Willis - were all markedly diminished from their peaks. It’s still increasingly clear that nobody has ever stayed as good as James for as long as James, who averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game last season. That difference gives him more NBA seasons at a younger age, but also more wear and tear on his body from competition against other grown men. James is the sixth player in league history to make it into a 21st season, but nobody has ever played this many years at his current level of performance - with the caveat that James got a jump on his pro career by entering the league directly out of high school, of course. “I don’t know what the end is going to look like,” he said. He says he doesn’t know how long he wants to play, and he admits he thought hard about walking away after last season before he decided to return to the Lakers while even keeping an eye on the Paris Olympics next summer. James makes this unprecedented NBA longevity look relatively easy, yet he also smiles and deflects when asked about his endgame. “He’s still out here making us look bad in practice.” “He sure doesn’t play like it,” Austin Reaves said. And yet few have ever done it like James, whose ascent to the throne of the NBA’s oldest player caught his Lakers teammates by surprise. But as far as my energy level, I feel pretty good.”įrom Tom Brady on the football field to Kelly Slater on a surfboard, modern athletes across all sports have rewritten the traditional guidelines around age and decline in the 21st century. “Feels a little bit different getting out of bed every day. I’m not a 21-year-old, that’s for sure,” James said with a laugh. For everybody else, they’re almost impossible to see. From a statistical standpoint, James’ prolific production hasn’t waned in any significant way for two full decades. James begins his 21st NBA season Tuesday night with his 39th birthday looming in December, yet the top scorer in league history shows shockingly few signs of decline from his peerless standard of performance. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar now seems determined to redefine how long an elite player can stay on top. LeBron James is already the defining figure of this basketball era with his strength, skills, smarts and relentless will to win.
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