LA Lakers’ LeBron James is currently in his 21st NBA season at the ripe old age of 38. However, that seems to have little to no impact on the kind of performances he has been putting in. As a matter of fact, James has been averaging 25.7 points with 57.8% efficiency.
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Before LeBron, only five players had played in the league for 21 or more seasons. All of them combined could muster an average of only 24 points per game in their 21st season. On the other hand, The Athletic‘s Jovan Buha has pointed out that LeBron is averaging more points (26.4 points per game) than their averages combined.
Regardless, LeBron has had to put the work in to continue producing at his age. The Lakers superstar spoke about the importance of putting in the work on a daily basis and ended up claiming that his remaining NBA journey was a race with Father Time. “Just trying to push the limit, see how far I can take this thing. It’s me vs. Father Time,” LeBron claimed, seemingly well aware that his time might be coming to an end.
Still, his teammates and head coach do not seem to think so. Anthony Davis talked about how LeBron was still playing at an incredible level, and he did not feel that James was now 38.
Darvin Ham, on the other hand, testified that James’ longevity was simply a result of how much work he has put in, and how he took care of his body.
Ham claimed that one of the biggest things was simply being smart with his minutes. “The overall minutes are going to be what it is depending on the nature of the game. The way we play him, the increments in which we play him, that’s the thing you have to be mindful of. And what you’re doing on non-gamedays as well. … That helps us – when he’s able to meet us halfway in that regard,” he said, claiming that rather than it being a solo effort, LeBron also needed help from the coaching staff in order to continue playing at the level he has been.
LeBron James had previously claimed he is beating Father Time
This is not the first time that James has talked about his battle with ‘Father Time.’ According to an interview in December 2022, LeBron claimed he has been taking care of his body and mind ever since he started playing.
James, who famously wants to play with his son Bronny James before retiring, claimed he was determined to squeeze as much juice from his career as possible. He said that this was something he had been preparing his body for right from the start.
James talked about how he has been stretching his body each time he woke up and was about to sleep at night, right from when he was 10. Having put incredible amounts of consistent work into his fitness and mental state, LeBron seemingly always planned to play for as long as he possibly could. He has, along the way, received praise from all possible sources regarding his fitness, even from unlikely ones such as Skip Bayless.
