Today marks a very special day in the basketball universe. It’s LeBron James’ birthday. The four-time NBA champion and all-time league-leading scorer turned 41 years old on Tuesday, December 30th, and the best part? He’s still competing in the league at an unmatched level.
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Sure, he’s a little older, a little slower, and somewhat of a liability on defense, but even Father Time would be impressed with his 24-point performance against the Kings a few nights ago. LBJ’s longevity alone puts him in a class by himself. Most players are long retired by this age, while LeBron is still putting up numbers and bullying guys half his age. It’s wild to watch in real time a man hold his own in his 23rd season.
And as the Lakers prepare for their primetime matchup against the East’s number one seeded, Detroit Pistons, the organization decided to take a pause during team workouts and wish ‘The King’ a ‘happy birthday’. The Purple and Gold franchise got LeBron a King-inspired cake, one that looked as marvelous as you could imagine.
But to really top it off, head coach J.J. Redick had rookie Adou Thiero serenade LBJ by leading the team in a Happy Birthday sing-along. Adou also had DeAndre Ayton pretending to be a maestro and guiding the rest of the onlookers, including some press and Lakers personnel, in the most famous song of all time.
The Lakers celebrated LeBron’s birthday after practice today
JJ Redick had Adou sing it on the mic pic.twitter.com/q1vRv3Nbhx
— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) December 30, 2025
Adou is sort of known for having an unmatched deep voice, so when the video surfaced of him singing to Bron, the internet rightfully had its way. Fans were in tears of laughter listening to the 21-year-old push through the Happy Birthday bop in a tone that only his voice could reach.
“Just the same deep a** voice,” wrote one person on X, who added a laughing emoji. “Adou Theiro’s voice so MF deep,” chirped a second person. A third person chimed in with, “plss forcing the rookie to sing aww and ayton god bless yo spirit.” It’s nice to see the basketball web not take themselves so seriously, especially when LBJ is the subject. The King at times does tend to bring out some weirdos.
It’s also heartwarming to see that in this new age of professional sports, this is as far as rookie ‘hazing’ would probably go. Gone are the days of torturing your rooks simply because they happened to be born after you.
Harsh critics who have seemingly softened up online know that the now 41-year-old baller only has a short window left before his miraculous NBA tenure comes to an end. Hopefully, this is a sign of them locking in for the GOAT’s final stretch of play before he rides off into the sunset.
Because at the end of the day, LeBron James doesn’t need the cake, the song, or the viral moment to cement his legacy. That said, these moments remind everyone why his presence still matters. He’s no longer chasing youth, he’s redefining what longevity looks like in the modern NBA, doing it with a mix of dominance, humor, and perspective.
As the jokes roll in and the miles add up, every game now feels a little more meaningful, a little more fleeting. Whether you love him, hate him, or fall somewhere in between, it’s clear we’re watching the final chapters of something we may never see again. More importantly, a huge matchup against the East’s best team will be a good test as to how much juice The King has left in the tank.
