LeBron James has defied Father Time for years now and shows no signs of slowing down. He continues to play at an elite level and remains the centerpiece of the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship hopes. But realistically, how much longer can he keep this up? Udonis Haslem, for one, doesn’t see his era coming to a close anytime soon.
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Most basketball players begin a steady decline around the age of 35. Even if their skills hold up, injuries usually catch up. But in James’ case, none of that seems to apply. That said, he will be 41 this year. Many, including LeBron’s former teammate Mike Miller, doubt we’ll see the same intensity from him in the coming season.
That’s what he asked Haslem, another teammate of Bron’s, on the OG podcast. And the 44-year-old does not doubt that James will continue to make history when the 2025-26 NBA season kicks off. Age, in his mind, will play no role in limiting The King’s greatness.
“There’s no doubt in my mind, dog,” Haslem said. “We got a chance to see that first hand…”
“I trust the work, I don’t trust the age. I don’t trust what people say, I trust the work. That’s my slogan to my kids. Don’t listen to me, trust the work… And the work that that man put in, there’s no doubt in my mind, there’s no question, that he’s gonna continue to be able to continue to play.”
Haslem, like Miller, has been teammates with Bron during arguably his best years in the NBA. He saw the Akron-born superstar dominate the league with the Heat and understands the amount of training he puts behind the scenes.
But Miller didn’t seem too convinced by the idea of a 41-year-old basketball player still playing most of the 48 minutes and averaging the numbers LeBron did in the 2024-25 season. Haslem, however, simply asked, “Why not? If you train yourself, then why not? Golly, we always talk about habits, I mean, these are the habits. And at this stage of the game for Bron, it’s not even habits no more. This is a lifestyle.”
If James performs as well as (or perhaps better than) he did last season, when he averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game while shooting 51% from the field, it will be a historic campaign. No 41-year-old has ever put up those numbers.
But in all fairness, it’s possible he adjusts his style of play to avoid injury. That explosive athleticism, which made him who he is today, could take a step back, and he might take a backseat to let superstar Luka Doncic run the show.
