“Your Goat Wasn’t Doing This at 38 Years of Age”: Kendrick Perkins Takes a Dig at Michael Jordan By Weaponizing LeBron James Longevity

Speaking on First Take, alongside Stephen A. Smith, Kendrick Perkins outlines the reasons why he believes LeBron James continues to be the face of the NBA. Speaking after the Lakers’ impressive 130-125 win over city rivals Clippers, Perkins started off by claiming that James had proved himself as the GOAT once again.

Talking about Michael Jordan, who is the GOAT in Stephen Smith’s opinion, Perkins claimed that MJ was not capable of pulling off the things that LeBron is, at the age of 38. That, alongside LeBron’s ability to carry his team to wins while coming clutch when needed and putting up the kind of numbers he has been, Perkins claimed James was still the face of the NBA. 

“This is why LeBron James is the GOAT. Because your GOAT wasn’t doing this at 38 years of age okay? That’s number 2. We have been searching and trying to find a new person to take over the throne of being the face of the league, and we can’t put a finger on that yet,” Perkins said, before complimenting LeBron further.

He claimed that James, despite being 38, was still carrying the Lakers to wins, and suggested that the kind of numbers that he was putting in effectively cemented his legacy.

“To continue to do what he is doing right now, putting up those numbers, winning games, being clutch down the stretch, putting his team on his back, although he has tried to pass the torch to Anthony Davis, he is still the face of the league,” Perkins claimed.

“This is why LeBron James is the GOAT. Because your GOAT wasn’t doing this at 38 years of age. … We have been searching and trying to find a new person to take over the throne of being the face of the league, and we can’t put a finger on that yet.”

—@KendrickPerkins pic.twitter.com/AJlO8vL2Jv

— First Take (@FirstTake) November 2, 2023

LeBron returned with a whopping 39 points, 12 assists, and 7 rebounds and played for 42 minutes, the most on the Lakers’ roster. In addition to his own numbers, Perkins claimed that LeBron’s genius existed in the way in which he was able to supply confidence to the rest of his teammates.

All in all, he firmly concluded that the only reason they have not been able to find another face in the NBA is because LeBron continues to play that role.

LeBron James’ heroics helped the Lakers beat the 11-game losing streak against the Clippers

It appears as though records continue to come at pace for LeBron James. Despite being in year 21 of his career, he continues to be the best player on a talented Lakers roster. James’ heroics meant that his team snapped a losing streak against the Clippers that lasted 11 games, since July 2020.

His 38-point haul also meant that this was his 81st game after turning 35 that he scored at least 30 points, a record previously held by Karl Malone. Furthermore, the number also ensured that he broke the record for the highest points ever registered by a player in their 21st season.

This record was previously held by Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 30 points back in 2019, according to CBS Sports.  While age is bound to, and has slowed LeBron down in some aspects of his game, he seems to have found ways to dominate opponents despite now edging towards 39. That alone, according to Kendrick Perkins, settles the GOAT debate in his favor.