As LeBron James barrels down the lane towards his 40th birthday, he continues to defy Father Time and the laws of physics. James is in his 21st NBA season, and is currently averaging 25 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 7.9 APG. These numbers are quite impressive, placing James at 15th-best for scoring and eighth-best for assists in the entire league. When compared with the five other hoopers who played at least 21 NBA seasons, the scoring gap between James and his peers is gargantuan.
Highest PPG by a player in their 21st season:
— BronMuse (@BronMuse) February 27, 2024
25.0 — LeBron James
7.7 — LeBron in the 4th Quarter
7.4 — Vince Carter
7.3 — Dirk Nowitzki
3.7 — Robert Parish
3.2 — Kevin Garnett
2.4 — Kevin Willis
🤯🤯. pic.twitter.com/3DrlTwV3xv
Only Vince Carter has played more than 21 NBA seasons, hanging up his Nike Shox after 22 high-flying campaigns. Among active players, only Golden State Warriors’ PG Chris Paul is close to James, having played 19 years. While Paul is averaging 8.9 PPG with the Warriors this season, half his career average, James is only 2.1 PPG below his career average of 27.1 PPG.
LeBron James career - average points per game pic.twitter.com/mvkRIC4Jk0
— Jay Cuda (@JayCuda) February 27, 2024
James is also recording more assists, has a significantly higher FG%, and is much more accurate from beyond the arc this season, when compared to his career averages in those categories. The bottom line is that James is not showing any signs of slowing down, and furthermore, there is talk about the Los Angeles Lakers signing the superstar to an extension in the near future. How long? How much? That is a hot topic of debate.
Is 3 years, $100M a fair deal for LeBron James?@Keyshawn suggest the Lakers extend King James BUT at a slight discount pic.twitter.com/7UcX7wthTo
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) February 27, 2024
The media is currently on fire about James’ defense of his son Bronny with regards to his NBA Mock Draft status, but the bottom line is that the man is passionate about his son’s future and overall well-being. Anyone who is a father can understand that. Perhaps one day the two James men will share the court together, but that part of the story has yet to be written. What is LeBron James’ legacy up to this point?
Après ses 28 points... LeBron James n'est plus qu'à 74 points de la barre des 40.000 en carrière ! pic.twitter.com/rI3HkAyZb6
— NBA France (@NBAFRANCE) February 26, 2024
NBA France knows what’s up. King James already passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leader in points scored. Now James is on the precipice of becoming the NBA’s first-ever 40,000 point scorer, needing only 74 points to do it. As it stands, James has scored more points than Larry Bird and Magic Johnson combined.
☘️Charles Barkley on what Larry Bird and Magic Johnson meant to the NBA..#LarryLegend pic.twitter.com/t2nkriVd09
— Larry Legend☘️ (@LarryBirdDaily) February 25, 2024
Bird and Magic were the two key players who truly and irrevocably altered the NBA’s trajectory and its eventual landscape. Magic and Bird paved the way for the success and popularity of Michael Jordan, and Jordan set the GOAT standard for players like James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and their successors to aspire towards. During All-Star weekend, James said that OKC Thunder PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Minnesota Timberwolves’ SG Anthony Edwards will likely be taking the torch.
By the time James retires, it’s possible that the all-time scoring bar will have been set in the upper atmosphere, somewhere in the neighborhood of 44,000 points. LBJ has appeared in the most All-Star games in NBA history, with 20. James is the only player in NBA history to win a championship and Finals MVP with three different teams.
LeBron is the first player in NBA history to win a Finals MVP with three different franchises 💪 #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/RV3fQBD7KM
— ESPN (@espn) October 12, 2020
All told, James has won four NBA titles and four Finals MVP awards. Only Jordan (6) has more Finals MVP awards than James. The four championship rings that James has earned over the course of his career are certainly a piece of his legacy, but they do not ultimately define him. Basketball fans will likely remember James most for his awe-inspiring ability to WOW us during every stage of his career, consistently being the best player of his era. After 21 seasons in the NBA, LeBron James is still one of the most dangerous players on the court, and there are several chapters left to be written.
How many more seasons will James play in the NBA, and will he eventually have an opportunity to play on the same team as his son, Bronny? Will James remain in Los Angeles with the Lakers, or will he test the free agent market once again?
The Paris Olympics are also on the horizon, and LBJ has already committed to representing Team USA, as long as he is healthy. James has led the Paris 2024 recruiting charge from the start, and the Team USA player pool is looking legit lethal. If James wins gold with Team USA in Paris, it will be James’ third Olympic gold medal.
