At 37, Lebron James is still one of the top five players in the world.
This season alone, he’s adding incredible individual numbers that players much younger than him would love to have.
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James is one of the rare athletes who has apparently been able to avoid Father Time for so long. Since he just turned 37 (!), In year 19 (!!) in the league, James is still racking up numbers worthy of MVP consideration. Most recently, he became the oldest player in NBA history to record a 30-point triple-double after losing 30 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the Orlando Magic.
James, who missed 10 of the Lakers’ first 16 games due to ankle and abdominal injuries, has improved his game throughout the season. In James’ first eight games, he averaged 22.8 points on 49 percent shooting with 6.1 assists and 5.0 rebounds.
Currently, in his final six-game stretch, James is averaging 34.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.5 blocks on split shots of 57.0 percent from the field, 40.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 81.8 percent. from free throws. line.
James has scored 36 or more points in three of those six games, and most recently at Memphis on Wednesday night, he scored eight 3-pointers, which tied a career-high.
This shouldn’t be a big surprise.
First of all, James has a genetic talent, that goes without saying, but he also invests in himself. He reportedly spends $ 1.5 million a year to take care of his body. That covers the costs of your home gym, trainers, massage therapists, chefs, appliances, and more.
He played the full 82-game schedule for the first time in his career at age 33 in 2017-18 while with the Cavs.
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It’s that dedication to his craft that has led him to hit some of the craziest numbers of his career after age 30.
LeBron James turns 37 today.
If we took only his career after he turned 30, it would still be a HOF on the first ballot.
– 8/26/8 at 52%
– 10/30/8 with 51% in playoffs
– 4th in total points
– 4th in total assists
– Led the NBA in assists
– 2x field
– 2x Finals MVP
– 7x All-Star
– 7x All-NBA pic.twitter.com/jwKL4upw1d– StatMuse (@statmuse) December 30, 2023
James has won half of his total championships since he turned 30, along with two Finals MVPs. He’s been an All-Star every year, he’s been an All-NBA every year, he led the league in assists in that time frame and averaged 26 points (52 percent shooting), 8 rebounds and 8 assists.
For comparison, when he turned 30, James had 23,901 career points, the most of an NBA player before his 30th birthday. James won all of his regular season MVP awards before he turned 30, which is more than any of his contemporaries on the GOAT list at that age. He was a 10-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA member, six-time All-Defensive Team member, two-time NBA champion, and two-time Finals MVP.
In the year he turned 30, James averaged 25.4 points per game, 6.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists.
“How do I keep playing? I’ve been doing it for 19 years,” James has said of his game this season. “Just do what I’ve been doing. I feel like I’m getting better and better every day. I’m getting healthier and healthier. I think you have negative thoughts or negative energy, it just creeps into your mind. So, I’m younger than ever.” .
Statistics and accolades seem to back that up, bringing together two separate Hall of Fame races on both sides of the 30-year milestone.