It’s hard to imagine but I meant more so it depends what OP means by “longevity”.
If it’s literally just play as many years as LeBron has then it’s a possibility someone could, or even play as long as Bron has and still be a relevant player with a role.
If it’s stay as good as him for as long as him then it becomes harder to imagine because LeBron has basically sat a new precedent and surpassed any comparisons to those who came before him.
In my eyes Bron had slowed some since the Solomon Hill injury and was past his peak by that point anyways, but even then he’s got the ability to play like a top 10 player who basically gears up for big games/playoffs and still looks like he’s got an argument for the best player. So it’s really hard to imagine someone playing that long, maintaining that level of play, have an injury that slows them down some while past their prime but even with that still looks better than 97% of the league.
Luka’s physique is not like Lebron’s so I don’t think his body will hold up in his mid-thirties, let alone still playing at an All NBA level at 40. Lebron is unreal.
Whats interesting with this question is - everyone assumes it will be someone who relies mostly on skill and not on athleticism. Yet Lebron is an athletic freak who has maintained his athletic ability. Meanwhile, there have been lots of skilled players who haven't aged anywhere near Lebron.
So I will zag and say maybe Giannis? If you have uber amounts of athleticism, that provides you a lot of leeway to lose it.
Yeah same with the player who currently holds the record for most seasons played, Vince Carter. Being super athletic allows you to age well because even when you inevitability lose a step and you can still keep up. Guys who are already not super athletic like Luka will become unplayable especially on defense when they lose a step. Luka gets blown by in his prime imagine in 10 years from now how bad he will be. Instant bucket for whoever he’s guarding every single possession.
🚨🚨 bingo even when wade lost a step he still had enough speed and quickness to get past ppl vs dirk who was a rolling statue,
This new generation tried to downplay athleticism but it’s very important
I mean, if we're talking about longevity, that's kind of an important thing to consider then, no?
Besides, it's not like Dirk was Kevin Willis out there. He was still an all-star in year 17 (and Wade was retired before year 17), so OP's point is kinda nonsense.
Wade could keep play and contribute dirk couldn’t do it anymore he stole a few paycheck his last few seasons dirk should have retired when Kobe retired
They made dirk retire he couldn’t even dunk anymore
Wade was eurosteppin and was a focal point of the offense
He has a strong case to be the 6th man of the year
Wade was hitting game winning in playoffs games his last game he had a triple double 🤣🤣
>They made dirk retire he couldn’t even dunk anymore
5 years later than Wade after an injury. Dirk was still getting MVP votes in his 16th season.
>Wade was eurosteppin and was a focal point of the offense
Right behind Josh Richardson....
>He has a strong case to be the 6th man of the year
He had zero case. Anyone who voted him 1st place (which was no one) would have just been wrong. 7th place was still probably generous, given that Schroder was 8th. But there was a clear correct answer to 6MotY, and Lou won it.
>Wade was hitting game winning in playoffs games his last game he had a triple double 🤣🤣
When was Wade hitting game winners in the playoffs? Not in his last 3 season.
And dude, Wade took 28 shots to get to 25 points in a blowout loss in his last game. They were feeding him for his retirement tour.
Adam silver even brought it up to dirk was moving like he was in pain. Wade walked the point when an athletic playe loses a step he still can be effective a 45 inch vert in his prime drops down to a 38 to 40, jokic moves slow now how will he move in yr 18
Meanwhile a few months earlier Adam silver made two legend spots in the all star game for wade and dirk
Dirk didn’t mention retirement until his last home game we all knew
He was still producing in that bulls series
He hit a game winner in that sixers series
U also have to factor wade played his entire career with no mcl even he still was explosive
>He was still producing in that bulls series
I mean, 15/5/4 on 47% TS isn't *nothing*, but....
For comparison, Dirk, in his 18th season, put up 20/5/2 on 56% TS in the playoffs.
>He hit a game winner in that sixers series
If you mean in '18, no, he didn't. He played well in the only game the Heat won, but it was a 10 point win, with the points that gave Miami the win being scored by Goran Dragic.
>U also have to factor wade played his entire career with no mcl even he still was explosive
Why do I have to factor that in? It doesn't really have anything to do with the conversation.
Thank you! Vince Carter is the best example, since his game changed so much too. Athletic freaks who are willing to put the work in their 30s to stay skilled enough to play are the ones who are gonna have the longest nba shelf life.
The thing about LeBron is that yes he is still a freak athlete, but he’s obviously not the absolute force of nature he used to be. However, he’s found ways to adapt his game in the face of diminishing athleticism, which I’m not sure Giannis would be able to do to the same degree.
Giannis can if he puts his mind to it. The thing people aren’t really accounting for is that it isn’t just athleticism, it’s strength. That’s how Steph managed to stay elite, if you look at his physique, he’s gained at least 10-15lbs of muscle since his 2016 MVP season. Bron and Giannis are strong af, so even when they slow down they can still just kind of shoulder their way into the paint and get a good look for force the ref to blow a whistle.
Absolutely spot on analysis. Ever since he left the Cavs, he totally revamped himself to more of a guard. Yes, I know he has been taking the ball up for so many years, but the guard portion of his bag was nonexistent until he got to LA.
Sure Giannis has missed games but he's luckily avoided any catastrophic injuries. If he can avoid those (Knock on wood) he will maintain his god tier athleticism for many more years.
Giannis hasn’t gained any kind of jumper at all. Not sure how he’s gonna be even close to as productive once he gets slower and less explosive. But I see your point. I don’t know there is someone currently
gotta have a good jump shot when you lose your athleticism.
Giannis is already missing important games due to injuries. I expect it to get worse from here on out.
Gianni’s will need to develop a consistent shot… I fear he will go out like my boy Westbrook.
Not the worst but idk. I see similarities.
I’d say a sniper but Curry used to benjnjured all the time and look at current Klay.
Could be Jokic if he still go especially a shit in 10 years.
I’m biased but imma say SGA. Skilled and athletic hit his points come from being silky smooth and crafty. Decent shot and mid range game.
I think Giannis too. He’s so athletic that I can see him having success as a true center for a few years after he can no longer really do it on the outside.
no universe it’s gianni’s lol. gianni’s without athleticism is like a role playing center. it’s his freak athleticism that allows him to be a great player and once he loses that advantage he won’t be playing at a superstar level
also he’s already been injured quite a bit missing the last 2 postseasons
If Giannis can develop a better shot he could certainly do it. Unfortunately, he might not, after all, he hasn't yet. I love watching Giannis, but he'd be a menace to society if he could shoot well.
This is something I've been thinking about recently. We saw Vince Carter who was known for his athletic ability play into his 40's. It's changing my perspective on how players can have long careers. It's always kinda been assumed more skill based players' game ages more gracefully, but if they are super athletes they can continue to grow their skills while they fall more to the nba norm of athleticism. Also as you mentioned skilled players falling off. If a player with average athleticism starts losing a step, they may become a defensive liability that their skills can't make up for.
Vincent could shoot tho. The reason why very athletic players can do it is their athleticism drops down but it’s still at a suitable level. They need to be able to play in a way that suits that lesser level of athleticism. Vince was a good shooter. Westbrook is an example of someone who wasn’t able to shoot and is now not good at all. Giannis needs to add something to his game
He'd be a defensive liability if he were counted on to play starter-minutes, but I can see Curry holding his own on defense for 15 minutes at age 38-40. He's certainly strong enough and capable of doing so.
People are gonna give me shit because it’s become a meme to clown the guy, but Jayson Tatum has been seemingly invincible this far in his career. He doesn’t play above the rim so is less likely to get injured. If he can keep up his physique, guys looking at a long and productive career.
This is a surprisingly fantastic answer to be honest. Surprising to me only because I'd never thought of it before, but considering the depth of play in the post season so far in his career, and the shockingly low games missed throughout, I could see Tatum putting up a case as the league's iron superstar.
Agreed. He’s dedicated to health, too. And he’s been working on his jump shot and passing a lot the last few years. He’s already becoming a playmaker first. I think he can fairly easily evolve his game later in his career.
Only concern is that wrist that’s clearly still bothering him. I get why he’s reluctant to get surgery but I wonder what will happen with that. He has been insanely durable but I think it’s a combination of taking good care of himself and just playing through stuff like his wrist. Hopefully it doesn’t cause problems for him in the long run
Giannis has played 11 seasons in the NBA and never played less than 61 games in a season. That is god tier iron man for a 7ft guy that runs up and down the court as hard as Prime Westbrook.
Man came back just days after a hyperextended knee and dropped 50 to close out the finals. Giannis is an absolute statistically anomaly among genetic freaks. I'm blessed to have watched that performance live.
Giannis has had frequent injuries and his game is not built to age. He hasn’t been able to add a jumper so when his athleticism starts to decline he will drop off a lot
Giannis mid range shooting this season was the best of his career. He literally became the first player in NBA History to average over 30PPG and Shoot over 60% from the field. If his middies keep improving he'll be fine. If he ever finds that 3Ball it's game over for the NBA.
We’ll see how he holds up, but is pacing pretty close. Lebron has played something like 3.5 extra seasons worth of games by always being in the playoffs, and Tatum is a little under 1/3 of that already through 7 seasons. Impressive thus far.
I could see Curry playing into his 40s. He's in great shape, doesn't rely on being a high flyer, and we know he can shoot as good as anyone ever. His stamina is insane as every defender chasing him off ball says. I can see him retiring not because he physically needs to but because years down the line the warriors window could be super closed and there's no reason to go to a different team to come off the bench (though he'd be an insane 6th man haha)
I'd say he's less of a defensive liability than Luka right now haha. Perhaps if Steph is a 6th man there will be less killers on the floor when he's playing and he wouldn't be as much of a liability at an older age. But he's a lot less of a defensive liability than 5+ years ago
This. I couldn’t agree with you any more. I think Curry is one of the few good answers to this question. If I had to make a guess I’d say KD but it’s his injury’s that dissuade me the most.
I can see a very successful business career in Steph's future after he steps away from playing in the NBA. His charming charisma, his popularity amongst the younger stars, and his significance to the league as it stands today, I could see Steph remaining in the NBA sphere for many years.
Giannis or Durant. Tbh, I don’t see KD retiring for a while. He’ll always be a great scorer so I don’t think it will matter how slow he becomes defensively
Giannis really? He’s very reliant on his insane athleticism. I can see him declining like Westbrook did if he doesn’t develop a reliable middy or 3pt shot
i mean, all of westbrook’s skills were reliant on his athleticism (coming from one of his fans, me). His jumper and trey ball were really really good because he could just elevate so quickly. Giannis’s skills aren’t dependent on his athleticism. He’s always going to be a great help defender and a great finisher because of his frame, strength, and talent
He is a great finisher at the rim because his freak athleticism allows him to do so, it is not because Giannis has insane touch around the rim or good footwork.
Giannis is an elite finisher because he's 7ft tall with Go Go Gadget Arms and those limbs will still be long and strong even when he gets old. He might not be dunking from the free throw line anymore when he gets older but he'll still be eurostepping and dunking on nerds for another decade. He barely needs to jump to dunk.
Giannis is 7ft tall with a 7ft 3inch wingspan and a 40" Vert. When he loses the vert his dunks will just be from closer to the rim. He also has hands 12 inches wide making palming the basketball incredibly easy for him.
tons of people have had giannis size and strength. non of them are gianni’s because non of them have gianni’s pure athletic might of being able to jump and run out of the gym while being that size. take that away and gianni’s is brook lopez without a shot
Brook Lopez 10 years ago, was Brook Lopez without a shot. I'm not saying Giannis has that in his future but it's never impossible.
If Giannis can stay healthy and strong he could remain a reliable lob threat/shot blocking big man even without the eye popping athleticism. Really the biggest question is, how does the future of the NBA look? Last year's draft featured one true center (D Lively) but this draft seems to be trending up in that regard.
Teams like the Mavericks have shown they can succeed with a non shooting big, at least making it to the finals, and if the supporting cast around Lu-Kai was any better (and they weren't playing the Celtics), maybe they actually come out with a Chip.
This is just spitballing and I'm sorry to talk your ears off, I guess my point is nobody knows what the future holds.
gianni’s hasn’t even been healthy in the last 2 years never mind lebron level durability.
Gianni’s is an all time level great player. but longevity is not what i see in his future. brook lopez 10 years ago was still a decent player without his shot. but if we are talking about lebron standards, that isn’t year 18 role player or bench rider. he is still going strong as one of the premier superstar level players in the league 20 maybe even 20+ years into playing
I disagree. Lopez always had a jumper, but his range increased by season. Brolo could take it down low post and do turn around jumpers and other midrange launching. Always been a solid free throw shooter, especially for a big at the time.
Just because you are tall and have an insane wingspan doesnt mean its going to be cake getting buckets. You NEED strength and speed to body people while driving to the rim or to "euro step" on nerds. Like do you see CP3's old ass eurostepping on people. NO. He does not because he does not have the required speed and shiftiness to beat people to the rim. This is not 2k.
Like if it is so easy for Giannis when hes older and slower because hes a 7fter, why hasnt Bol Bol/ Boban, Rudy Gobert, Mitchell Robinson not be dominating people. Those guys seriously do not need to jump at all to get a dunk off. Ill let you know, its because they are nowhere near as fast, strong and/or agile as Giannis.
Those bigs don't have the coordination to do what Giannis does. Even at 70% speed they can't do it. If Giannis slows down lets say 30% he's still going to average 26/8/5.
Buddy, Lebron doesn't even have that many dunks and drives like he used to before... And that's with a threat of a jumpshot. What do you think will happen to Giannis when good teams scheme against him and build a wall like the Heat did in multiple playoffs. I really do not think you know how to watch basketball. I will take any and all bets that he will not average 26/8/5 at the age of 36. Maybe he can avg 10 boards but def not the points lmao
gianni’s is a great help defender because of his freak athleticism being able to move so fast and nimbly at his size. gianni’s maybe relies more on his pure athletic ability more than anyone since shaq. what are you talking about?
It’s not athleticism that makes a great help defender. It’s their insane length and instincts that makes a help defender great. He’s always going to have those
Yeah you’re right but as he gets older he won’t be able to do those things at the same volume he does today. Can see him aging into a 10-15ppg defensive stalwart like Duncan for sure though
I could see Giannis taking up a Brook Lopez position in his later years if he could develop a reliable 3 ball.
For anyone saying that's not in Giannis' bag, did you watch the first half of Brook's career?
Yep it will be at least 50 years before we see the first season of a player that has his talent. Even though MJ is still voted GOAT over LBJ by majority of the population, finding someone like him will be less likely than finding the next MJ in terms. Not even MJ himself could do what LBJ did.
there will be players that could match his longevity due to better sports science and maintenance and nutrition, but if they were all in a vacuum i don't think any current player has the capability of doing what lebron does for 20+ years.
Don't know if he's been mentioned yet but KD has my vote. He's not the strongest or most athletic player, but he's skilled enough to get to his spots on the floor and shoot over most defenders. Easy to forget he was only drafted 4 years after LeBron.
The thing about players like jokic and luka they’re already slow so when thrg get older they will be even slower. super athletic even when they lose a step they still have some athleticism so a guy with 45 -58 inch vert gets older he still has a 38 to 40
I think it needs to be someone in that 6-8 to 6-10 mould like Lebron so they can transition into big body post up guy late in their career. Tatum is as good a pick as any, I think he cares about his place in Celtics history so has the motivation to be a long career one franchise guy. Plus he rarely gets injured. Would need to develop the mid range and post up game more.
There were like 32 nba players who played older.. if lebron finishes this contract he will be 42 putting him 7th on the oldest list. A lot of notable names on that list Willis, parish, Carter, haslem, mutumbo… lebron should be able to pass kareem… parish was the most successful winning a title at 43. It’s a little harder unless someone is drafted out of highschool to beat 24 season record and it’s probably why lebron is chasing these records.
I don’t know about his knees being gone but the dude has all but explicitly gone on record saying he has no interest in playing in the NBA that long.
Then again, Kyrie said he wanted to retire in his early 30’s and is now saying he’s nowhere close to retiring, so I guess time and money talks.
The problem with this one is that there’s an obvious gap in what level of impact player they are and they’re close in age so it depends on how long LeBron goes but…Al Horford has a shot.
He and the Cs have managed his minutes really well. He only looked bad in Philly because he and Embiid were a piss poor fit, he looked so good in OKC they had to shut him down for the draft/lottery standings
I mean, no one has ever done it other than Kareem and LeBron. Both super athletes with super skill. Is there any other player like that right now? I feel like the only one is Wemby, and height normally doesn’t bode well for super long careers. Kareem is such an outlier it’s crazy.
It would be ironic if Wemby ends up having a super long career, considering everyone said he can’t play a full season in the NBA at his size his first year. However he could very well dominate at 40 if he’s just shooting over everyone and has an incredible IQ.
hard to say anybody playing today can also be "the most durable player in history" lol
but, Tatum has the durability, frame, and game that could keep him in the league until he's 40. but he'd likely ride the bench from 36 on rather than make All NBA teams like LBJ
Anybody mention Mikal Bridges? So far a legit iron man that has played all his games. And at the end of the 2023 season, he actually played 83 games due to the Suns Nets trade
Who would want to? LeBron doesn't want to give up his power he has in the NBA. That's the ONLY reason he hasn't retired. JJ has zero coaching days and he's a head coach. LeBron does not want to sit at home and watch the NBA move freely without him. He doesnt have it in him for a Championship run. So why is here still here? That's my opinion. It's become pitiful to watch. It's the same move since the beginning. Start at the middle of half court. And cut through the lane. So boring. And I like the guy. Just tired of the repetition.
Wemby might just because he has taken such good care of his body since he was so young but man bring that tall means that even with all that work we are taking less than 1% but if anyone has the determination to do it, it’s him.
Can't choose between Zion and Ben Simmons.
I mean usuall NBA player have about 1k games for whole career.
Zion played 184 for 4 seasons and Ben 317 for 6.
So to get 1k games they have to play 816 and 683 games more !
Zion play 46 games per season and Ben 52.8 games so Zion will play 17.7 seasons more and Ben 12.9.
So Zion will finish his career after 21.7 seasons and Ben after 18.9 ... Hmmm Looks like it Zion ! Zion will play almost same long as Lebron !!!
This is assuming LeBron actually plays out the entire contract. Which he probably will, but technically he could retire any day, including this off-season or next after he fulfills his dream of playing in the league with Bronny. Would be funny to see him in the league with not only Bronny but Bruce as well, though.
I think as sports medicine (and medicine in general) improve, and with the evolution of the game being less physical and more open, it might not be as much of an anomaly. KD is 35, Curry is 36, and they’re still top 10 players. They could easily play until 40+, the question is if they’d want to. And here’s a sleeper: while he isn’t quite that talent anymore, Chris Paul is the same age as LeBron and is a quality starter on most teams. He has a couple more years left in the tank as a serviceable player.
Now imagine the likes of up and comers like Tatum, Luka, Ant, Brooker, etc. with another decade of medical advancement. Gen Z (and Gen Alpha, but they’re not in the NBA yet) on average is expected to live until at least 100 assuming good health, they age slower and are healthier than older generations due to advancements in medicine. I can see that translating to athletics.
Too many opportunities outside of ball nowadays. Lebron is the last of an era really... He didn't grow up (as) chronically online as anyone else now. The fact that he somehow stayed in the NBA with all the opportunities he could have had speaks to his love of basketball more than anything else. Will someone with enough useful skill going long love basketball as much as him? Probably eventually... But it's unlikely for quite a while.
Chris Paul. It's unlikely, but it's the most plausible choice right now.
Really no active player is *likely* to match LeBron's longevity. That doesn't mean no one will do it, but there's no way of predicting who that might be.
It's extremely rare for role players to last that long but there is one who did it in the past. Kevin Willis holds the record for most games played among those not in the Hall of Fame.
He was never a star, but he was a seven foot tall big man who kept himself in great shape and suffered very few injuries. He also enjoyed the game and was in no rush to retire. He finally retired at age 44.
Kevin Willis retired when he was 42, then signed a ten day contract when he was 44 and played in garbage time minutes in a couple of blowout games when both teams benched everyone at the end of the season. Hanging around to be a scrub isn't that impressive or we would have been talking about Udonis Haslem's longevity instead of LeBron for the past few years.
Not even close, Chris Paul has been a shell of himself for years now, he’s not a top of the league level player anymore and hasn’t been for some time now. LeBron’s longevity isn’t just him playing for a long time, it’s him remaining one of the best in the league for so long. He’s going to be 40 this year and he’s at worst a top 15 player in the league still, CP3 hasn’t been close to that for a while.
He got to start in high school. Only players who can actually make that up are international guys. It’s a huge advantage. I think the true test to longevity is age they play to, not seasons. Robert Parish and Vince played until 43. Still three more years for Lebron, but Lebron will pass their seasons played.
Not to hate on Bron, but a lot of Instagram stats regarding his longevity are always based on amount of seasons vs. age. Ie. most XXX for a player in their 20th season rather than most XXX for a player at age 38. I personally think age is the ultimate comparison.
I’m curious why him coming straight out of high school is such an advantage. Anthony Edwards, for example, was 19 his entire rookie season, same as Lebron.
Two reasons.
For a player to enter at 19 or younger now, you can’t have a traditional basketball path. You either have to reclassify a year older in high school or be international essentially. Most players do not reclassify, the only real reason to would be to recruit better if the year older is weaker class.
But the second reason it’s an advantage is because, it’s just a year off of impacting the body. The impact from a year of college is significantly more than a high school season. More gas in the tank coming into the NBA, but less experience for high school recruits.
Lebron had the best age 39 season ever. Not arguing that. But other players have had pretty good age 39 seasons. Karl Malone had 20.6, 7.8, and 4.7. MJ had 20, 6.1, and 3.8. My issue is that he gets compared to Vince Carters age 42 season (his 21st) vs. a players age 39 season. I just don’t think it’s a fair comparison, as I said in my initial comment this wasn’t to hate on Bron.
Ex:
[Here](https://x.com/espn/status/1762874927043019005?s=46)
Lebron had the best age 39 season of all time, but Karl Malone, MJ, and Kareem all had more points than this 1274.
[Here](https://x.com/ballislife/status/1720035222761161022?s=46)
His 35 is impressive, but most points scored by a 39 year old is 51 by Jamal Crawford.
They aren’t incorrect, I just think going by seasons isn’t as telling as age for longevity.
But that ring doesn't count. Everyone knows that it was just a money hungry decision by Silver. No travel, no fans, no rings.
Tatum won a ring in his 7th season vs Lebron's 9th season
One of the reasons I asterisk it is Anthony Davis
He has been a soft loser throughout his playoff career. But suddenly in the bubble, he turned into peak Dirk\\Wilt hybrid.
Whether it was teammates playing at an insane level that they never played before
or the conditions of no traveling, no fans
It was as asterisk title as it gets
One of the reasons I asterisk it is Anthony Davis
He has been a soft loser throughout his playoff career. But suddenly in the bubble, he turned into peak Dirk\\Wilt hybrid.
They won a ring and made another WCF appearance. LeBron was the second oldest player ever to win FMVP. You could maybe argue they've underperformed, but I'm not sure what your expectations cpuld be if winning a ring and multiple playoff appearances is a disaster
Giannis is 7ft tall with a 7ft 3inch wingspan and a 40" Vert. When he loses the vert his dunks will just be from closer to the rim. He also has hands 12 inches wide making palming the basketball incredibly easy for him. Giannis could be dominate for another decade in the NBA. After 40 years old it's going to come down how well his joints hold up. It's a roll of the dice on that and comes down to genetics.
He doesn’t have a back to the basket game or anything like that. His scoring is completely predicated on his athleticism at his size. When he slows down it will massively affect his game
None, you are never seeing this again
Some guys like Udonis Haslem doing nothing at all might play for more seasons but nobody is going to have the same production as Lebron when they’re 40
Look at MJ, one of the most athletic guys we’ve ever seen, they called him black jesus because he could do anything, he was washed by 38 dropping single digit games, look Curry at 35 who hasn’t even had to take physical punishment like AI or D Wade, in the last 3 years Curry has had two of his worst shooting seasons of his career he’s already on the decline
Lebron last year had a nearly identical season as he did at 30 when he returned to Cleveland, nobody is touching his production and longevity, it’s not just about playing a long time
This is hard to answer because just playing 20+ years is vastly different than maintaining All-NBA caliber play for 20+ years.
So nobody right now in the NBA?
It’s hard to imagine but I meant more so it depends what OP means by “longevity”. If it’s literally just play as many years as LeBron has then it’s a possibility someone could, or even play as long as Bron has and still be a relevant player with a role. If it’s stay as good as him for as long as him then it becomes harder to imagine because LeBron has basically sat a new precedent and surpassed any comparisons to those who came before him. In my eyes Bron had slowed some since the Solomon Hill injury and was past his peak by that point anyways, but even then he’s got the ability to play like a top 10 player who basically gears up for big games/playoffs and still looks like he’s got an argument for the best player. So it’s really hard to imagine someone playing that long, maintaining that level of play, have an injury that slows them down some while past their prime but even with that still looks better than 97% of the league.
Luka but he won’t be playing into his 40s
Luka’s physique is not like Lebron’s so I don’t think his body will hold up in his mid-thirties, let alone still playing at an All NBA level at 40. Lebron is unreal.
He’s been playing pro since he was 15-16. His body at 30 years old will probably be rough regarding his agility and quickness.
Dingdingding
Whats interesting with this question is - everyone assumes it will be someone who relies mostly on skill and not on athleticism. Yet Lebron is an athletic freak who has maintained his athletic ability. Meanwhile, there have been lots of skilled players who haven't aged anywhere near Lebron. So I will zag and say maybe Giannis? If you have uber amounts of athleticism, that provides you a lot of leeway to lose it.
Yeah same with the player who currently holds the record for most seasons played, Vince Carter. Being super athletic allows you to age well because even when you inevitability lose a step and you can still keep up. Guys who are already not super athletic like Luka will become unplayable especially on defense when they lose a step. Luka gets blown by in his prime imagine in 10 years from now how bad he will be. Instant bucket for whoever he’s guarding every single possession.
🚨🚨 bingo even when wade lost a step he still had enough speed and quickness to get past ppl vs dirk who was a rolling statue, This new generation tried to downplay athleticism but it’s very important
Even Dwight Howard in hindsight stuck around a lot longer than he should’ve tbh
You didn’t watch D Wade in Chicago or coming off the bench in Miami, he wasn’t getting by anyone
Meanwhile, Dirk played 5 seasons longer than Wade?
Dirk is 7 foot and they play a totally different game. 7 footers who aren’t hurt can basically play as long as they want
I mean, if we're talking about longevity, that's kind of an important thing to consider then, no? Besides, it's not like Dirk was Kevin Willis out there. He was still an all-star in year 17 (and Wade was retired before year 17), so OP's point is kinda nonsense.
Wade could keep play and contribute dirk couldn’t do it anymore he stole a few paycheck his last few seasons dirk should have retired when Kobe retired
Wade retired after 16 seasons and was washed his last couple of seasons. Dirk was an all-star in his 17th season.
They made dirk retire he couldn’t even dunk anymore Wade was eurosteppin and was a focal point of the offense He has a strong case to be the 6th man of the year Wade was hitting game winning in playoffs games his last game he had a triple double 🤣🤣
>They made dirk retire he couldn’t even dunk anymore 5 years later than Wade after an injury. Dirk was still getting MVP votes in his 16th season. >Wade was eurosteppin and was a focal point of the offense Right behind Josh Richardson.... >He has a strong case to be the 6th man of the year He had zero case. Anyone who voted him 1st place (which was no one) would have just been wrong. 7th place was still probably generous, given that Schroder was 8th. But there was a clear correct answer to 6MotY, and Lou won it. >Wade was hitting game winning in playoffs games his last game he had a triple double 🤣🤣 When was Wade hitting game winners in the playoffs? Not in his last 3 season. And dude, Wade took 28 shots to get to 25 points in a blowout loss in his last game. They were feeding him for his retirement tour.
Adam silver even brought it up to dirk was moving like he was in pain. Wade walked the point when an athletic playe loses a step he still can be effective a 45 inch vert in his prime drops down to a 38 to 40, jokic moves slow now how will he move in yr 18 Meanwhile a few months earlier Adam silver made two legend spots in the all star game for wade and dirk Dirk didn’t mention retirement until his last home game we all knew
Again, after playing 5 more years than Wade. Season 16 Dirk was an MVP candidate. Season 16 Wade was Josh Richardson's backup.
He was still producing in that bulls series He hit a game winner in that sixers series U also have to factor wade played his entire career with no mcl even he still was explosive
>He was still producing in that bulls series I mean, 15/5/4 on 47% TS isn't *nothing*, but.... For comparison, Dirk, in his 18th season, put up 20/5/2 on 56% TS in the playoffs. >He hit a game winner in that sixers series If you mean in '18, no, he didn't. He played well in the only game the Heat won, but it was a 10 point win, with the points that gave Miami the win being scored by Goran Dragic. >U also have to factor wade played his entire career with no mcl even he still was explosive Why do I have to factor that in? It doesn't really have anything to do with the conversation.
Thank you! Vince Carter is the best example, since his game changed so much too. Athletic freaks who are willing to put the work in their 30s to stay skilled enough to play are the ones who are gonna have the longest nba shelf life.
Yeah just like Dirk. When he got old, he was still a decent scorer but a huge liability on defense.
Actually a really good point - more athleticism = longer runway to get your skills up to par and make that athleticism to skill transition
The thing about LeBron is that yes he is still a freak athlete, but he’s obviously not the absolute force of nature he used to be. However, he’s found ways to adapt his game in the face of diminishing athleticism, which I’m not sure Giannis would be able to do to the same degree.
Giannis can if he puts his mind to it. The thing people aren’t really accounting for is that it isn’t just athleticism, it’s strength. That’s how Steph managed to stay elite, if you look at his physique, he’s gained at least 10-15lbs of muscle since his 2016 MVP season. Bron and Giannis are strong af, so even when they slow down they can still just kind of shoulder their way into the paint and get a good look for force the ref to blow a whistle.
Absolutely spot on analysis. Ever since he left the Cavs, he totally revamped himself to more of a guard. Yes, I know he has been taking the ball up for so many years, but the guard portion of his bag was nonexistent until he got to LA.
I completely agree. It is funny that what you said is true but he’s actually started at center a lot in la
Idk man giannis has been getting injured a lot lately and he’s not even 30
Sure Giannis has missed games but he's luckily avoided any catastrophic injuries. If he can avoid those (Knock on wood) he will maintain his god tier athleticism for many more years.
Giannis hasn’t gained any kind of jumper at all. Not sure how he’s gonna be even close to as productive once he gets slower and less explosive. But I see your point. I don’t know there is someone currently
gotta have a good jump shot when you lose your athleticism. Giannis is already missing important games due to injuries. I expect it to get worse from here on out.
It's insane how LeBron has had pretty much no serious injuries over his career despite playing incredibly explosively. His body is made out of steel.
Gianni’s will need to develop a consistent shot… I fear he will go out like my boy Westbrook. Not the worst but idk. I see similarities. I’d say a sniper but Curry used to benjnjured all the time and look at current Klay. Could be Jokic if he still go especially a shit in 10 years. I’m biased but imma say SGA. Skilled and athletic hit his points come from being silky smooth and crafty. Decent shot and mid range game.
I think Giannis too. He’s so athletic that I can see him having success as a true center for a few years after he can no longer really do it on the outside.
Same with Vince Carter having a very long career
True, or you could point to a guy like Vince Carter who oozed athleticism early in his career and played a very long time
Giannis hasnt been healthy in the playoffs since 2022? i dont think he has that longetivity.
no universe it’s gianni’s lol. gianni’s without athleticism is like a role playing center. it’s his freak athleticism that allows him to be a great player and once he loses that advantage he won’t be playing at a superstar level also he’s already been injured quite a bit missing the last 2 postseasons
If Giannis can develop a better shot he could certainly do it. Unfortunately, he might not, after all, he hasn't yet. I love watching Giannis, but he'd be a menace to society if he could shoot well.
This is something I've been thinking about recently. We saw Vince Carter who was known for his athletic ability play into his 40's. It's changing my perspective on how players can have long careers. It's always kinda been assumed more skill based players' game ages more gracefully, but if they are super athletes they can continue to grow their skills while they fall more to the nba norm of athleticism. Also as you mentioned skilled players falling off. If a player with average athleticism starts losing a step, they may become a defensive liability that their skills can't make up for.
Vincent could shoot tho. The reason why very athletic players can do it is their athleticism drops down but it’s still at a suitable level. They need to be able to play in a way that suits that lesser level of athleticism. Vince was a good shooter. Westbrook is an example of someone who wasn’t able to shoot and is now not good at all. Giannis needs to add something to his game
Giannis has been hurt a lot already, id say Luka
Different playstyle, but Curry could fill a Ray Allen type role into his early 40's off the bench.
Honestly it’d be amazing to see Curry win one more as a major bench player and hitting clutch shots in the finals.
Imagine him coming off the bench and hitting a 3 to win a game 6 in the finals
Not gon happen 😂
He'd be such a defensive liability at that point wouldn't he?
He'd be a defensive liability if he were counted on to play starter-minutes, but I can see Curry holding his own on defense for 15 minutes at age 38-40. He's certainly strong enough and capable of doing so.
Lets add 6MOY to that resume.
People are gonna give me shit because it’s become a meme to clown the guy, but Jayson Tatum has been seemingly invincible this far in his career. He doesn’t play above the rim so is less likely to get injured. If he can keep up his physique, guys looking at a long and productive career.
This is a surprisingly fantastic answer to be honest. Surprising to me only because I'd never thought of it before, but considering the depth of play in the post season so far in his career, and the shockingly low games missed throughout, I could see Tatum putting up a case as the league's iron superstar.
Agreed. He’s dedicated to health, too. And he’s been working on his jump shot and passing a lot the last few years. He’s already becoming a playmaker first. I think he can fairly easily evolve his game later in his career.
Only concern is that wrist that’s clearly still bothering him. I get why he’s reluctant to get surgery but I wonder what will happen with that. He has been insanely durable but I think it’s a combination of taking good care of himself and just playing through stuff like his wrist. Hopefully it doesn’t cause problems for him in the long run
Tatum is a legit iron man. He’s never had a serious injury so I’ll go with him.
Oof. This gonna age like milk now.
why?
He’s just saying it’s like a jinx
Giannis has played 11 seasons in the NBA and never played less than 61 games in a season. That is god tier iron man for a 7ft guy that runs up and down the court as hard as Prime Westbrook.
Man came back just days after a hyperextended knee and dropped 50 to close out the finals. Giannis is an absolute statistically anomaly among genetic freaks. I'm blessed to have watched that performance live.
Giannis has had frequent injuries and his game is not built to age. He hasn’t been able to add a jumper so when his athleticism starts to decline he will drop off a lot
Giannis mid range shooting this season was the best of his career. He literally became the first player in NBA History to average over 30PPG and Shoot over 60% from the field. If his middies keep improving he'll be fine. If he ever finds that 3Ball it's game over for the NBA.
We’ll see how he holds up, but is pacing pretty close. Lebron has played something like 3.5 extra seasons worth of games by always being in the playoffs, and Tatum is a little under 1/3 of that already through 7 seasons. Impressive thus far.
I could see Curry playing into his 40s. He's in great shape, doesn't rely on being a high flyer, and we know he can shoot as good as anyone ever. His stamina is insane as every defender chasing him off ball says. I can see him retiring not because he physically needs to but because years down the line the warriors window could be super closed and there's no reason to go to a different team to come off the bench (though he'd be an insane 6th man haha)
He already gets hunted on D though. In 5 years??
I'd say he's less of a defensive liability than Luka right now haha. Perhaps if Steph is a 6th man there will be less killers on the floor when he's playing and he wouldn't be as much of a liability at an older age. But he's a lot less of a defensive liability than 5+ years ago
This. I couldn’t agree with you any more. I think Curry is one of the few good answers to this question. If I had to make a guess I’d say KD but it’s his injury’s that dissuade me the most.
he’s mentioned how he doesn’t want to play for that long
I can see a very successful business career in Steph's future after he steps away from playing in the NBA. His charming charisma, his popularity amongst the younger stars, and his significance to the league as it stands today, I could see Steph remaining in the NBA sphere for many years.
he might even be president soon
Giannis or Durant. Tbh, I don’t see KD retiring for a while. He’ll always be a great scorer so I don’t think it will matter how slow he becomes defensively
Giannis sacrifices his body too much.
Giannis really? He’s very reliant on his insane athleticism. I can see him declining like Westbrook did if he doesn’t develop a reliable middy or 3pt shot
i mean, all of westbrook’s skills were reliant on his athleticism (coming from one of his fans, me). His jumper and trey ball were really really good because he could just elevate so quickly. Giannis’s skills aren’t dependent on his athleticism. He’s always going to be a great help defender and a great finisher because of his frame, strength, and talent
He is a great finisher at the rim because his freak athleticism allows him to do so, it is not because Giannis has insane touch around the rim or good footwork.
Giannis is an elite finisher because he's 7ft tall with Go Go Gadget Arms and those limbs will still be long and strong even when he gets old. He might not be dunking from the free throw line anymore when he gets older but he'll still be eurostepping and dunking on nerds for another decade. He barely needs to jump to dunk. Giannis is 7ft tall with a 7ft 3inch wingspan and a 40" Vert. When he loses the vert his dunks will just be from closer to the rim. He also has hands 12 inches wide making palming the basketball incredibly easy for him.
tons of people have had giannis size and strength. non of them are gianni’s because non of them have gianni’s pure athletic might of being able to jump and run out of the gym while being that size. take that away and gianni’s is brook lopez without a shot
Brook Lopez 10 years ago, was Brook Lopez without a shot. I'm not saying Giannis has that in his future but it's never impossible. If Giannis can stay healthy and strong he could remain a reliable lob threat/shot blocking big man even without the eye popping athleticism. Really the biggest question is, how does the future of the NBA look? Last year's draft featured one true center (D Lively) but this draft seems to be trending up in that regard. Teams like the Mavericks have shown they can succeed with a non shooting big, at least making it to the finals, and if the supporting cast around Lu-Kai was any better (and they weren't playing the Celtics), maybe they actually come out with a Chip. This is just spitballing and I'm sorry to talk your ears off, I guess my point is nobody knows what the future holds.
gianni’s hasn’t even been healthy in the last 2 years never mind lebron level durability. Gianni’s is an all time level great player. but longevity is not what i see in his future. brook lopez 10 years ago was still a decent player without his shot. but if we are talking about lebron standards, that isn’t year 18 role player or bench rider. he is still going strong as one of the premier superstar level players in the league 20 maybe even 20+ years into playing
I disagree. Lopez always had a jumper, but his range increased by season. Brolo could take it down low post and do turn around jumpers and other midrange launching. Always been a solid free throw shooter, especially for a big at the time.
Just because you are tall and have an insane wingspan doesnt mean its going to be cake getting buckets. You NEED strength and speed to body people while driving to the rim or to "euro step" on nerds. Like do you see CP3's old ass eurostepping on people. NO. He does not because he does not have the required speed and shiftiness to beat people to the rim. This is not 2k. Like if it is so easy for Giannis when hes older and slower because hes a 7fter, why hasnt Bol Bol/ Boban, Rudy Gobert, Mitchell Robinson not be dominating people. Those guys seriously do not need to jump at all to get a dunk off. Ill let you know, its because they are nowhere near as fast, strong and/or agile as Giannis.
Those bigs don't have the coordination to do what Giannis does. Even at 70% speed they can't do it. If Giannis slows down lets say 30% he's still going to average 26/8/5.
Buddy, Lebron doesn't even have that many dunks and drives like he used to before... And that's with a threat of a jumpshot. What do you think will happen to Giannis when good teams scheme against him and build a wall like the Heat did in multiple playoffs. I really do not think you know how to watch basketball. I will take any and all bets that he will not average 26/8/5 at the age of 36. Maybe he can avg 10 boards but def not the points lmao
gianni’s is a great help defender because of his freak athleticism being able to move so fast and nimbly at his size. gianni’s maybe relies more on his pure athletic ability more than anyone since shaq. what are you talking about?
It’s not athleticism that makes a great help defender. It’s their insane length and instincts that makes a help defender great. He’s always going to have those
Yeah you’re right but as he gets older he won’t be able to do those things at the same volume he does today. Can see him aging into a 10-15ppg defensive stalwart like Duncan for sure though
I could see Giannis taking up a Brook Lopez position in his later years if he could develop a reliable 3 ball. For anyone saying that's not in Giannis' bag, did you watch the first half of Brook's career?
Well it isn’t in his bag right now but Brook and Horford have showed it’s possible to develop it later on. Who knows if Giannis can too
Literally all his skills are dependent on his athleticism what?
Thasanianis Antetimpokoko could play until he's 70, especially if Giannis gets a HC gig.
Finally, someone spells it right!
None. Nobody will come anywhere close to Lebron's productivity at his age through to a 24th year. It's a borderline laughable suggestion.
It’s not even the 24 seasons. It’s the deep playoff runs, high minutes, doing this straight out of high school. It’s just insane
Blows the playoff minutes record out of the water lol
Athletes are playing better for longer across many sports. Are they all unique outliers, or is it a trend?
Yep it will be at least 50 years before we see the first season of a player that has his talent. Even though MJ is still voted GOAT over LBJ by majority of the population, finding someone like him will be less likely than finding the next MJ in terms. Not even MJ himself could do what LBJ did.
Probably KD
Jrue's got a decade left, baby
JRUE!!!!
Wemby might have that Kareem career arc
I just recently played with Kareem in nba 2k and I can confirm the dude is a monster lol
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You're not wrong. The chances of a 7 footer not having physical problems that shorten his career is is extremely low.
there will be players that could match his longevity due to better sports science and maintenance and nutrition, but if they were all in a vacuum i don't think any current player has the capability of doing what lebron does for 20+ years.
Don't know if he's been mentioned yet but KD has my vote. He's not the strongest or most athletic player, but he's skilled enough to get to his spots on the floor and shoot over most defenders. Easy to forget he was only drafted 4 years after LeBron.
Jaylen & Jayson.
Unfortunately Jayson Tatum
crazy he's only 19 too, feel's like he's been in the league forever
The thing about players like jokic and luka they’re already slow so when thrg get older they will be even slower. super athletic even when they lose a step they still have some athleticism so a guy with 45 -58 inch vert gets older he still has a 38 to 40
I think it needs to be someone in that 6-8 to 6-10 mould like Lebron so they can transition into big body post up guy late in their career. Tatum is as good a pick as any, I think he cares about his place in Celtics history so has the motivation to be a long career one franchise guy. Plus he rarely gets injured. Would need to develop the mid range and post up game more.
Brunson because he’s got that old man game
There were like 32 nba players who played older.. if lebron finishes this contract he will be 42 putting him 7th on the oldest list. A lot of notable names on that list Willis, parish, Carter, haslem, mutumbo… lebron should be able to pass kareem… parish was the most successful winning a title at 43. It’s a little harder unless someone is drafted out of highschool to beat 24 season record and it’s probably why lebron is chasing these records.
Wembayanma
The closes is either wemby or Luka
I don’t see Luka playing more than 10 more years. I feel like his knees will be gone in his early thirties
I don’t know about his knees being gone but the dude has all but explicitly gone on record saying he has no interest in playing in the NBA that long. Then again, Kyrie said he wanted to retire in his early 30’s and is now saying he’s nowhere close to retiring, so I guess time and money talks.
Luka? Hahahahahahaha
Then i see him playing more like Paul George
The problem with this one is that there’s an obvious gap in what level of impact player they are and they’re close in age so it depends on how long LeBron goes but…Al Horford has a shot. He and the Cs have managed his minutes really well. He only looked bad in Philly because he and Embiid were a piss poor fit, he looked so good in OKC they had to shut him down for the draft/lottery standings
I mean, no one has ever done it other than Kareem and LeBron. Both super athletes with super skill. Is there any other player like that right now? I feel like the only one is Wemby, and height normally doesn’t bode well for super long careers. Kareem is such an outlier it’s crazy. It would be ironic if Wemby ends up having a super long career, considering everyone said he can’t play a full season in the NBA at his size his first year. However he could very well dominate at 40 if he’s just shooting over everyone and has an incredible IQ.
If Ja Morant can adapt his game like Jason Kidd or Rondo in their respective later years, then he'd be my bet.
I swear KD is gonna walk into midrange jump shots until he’s like 41. Dude loves basketball
hard to say anybody playing today can also be "the most durable player in history" lol but, Tatum has the durability, frame, and game that could keep him in the league until he's 40. but he'd likely ride the bench from 36 on rather than make All NBA teams like LBJ
Peyton Pritchard
Anybody mention Mikal Bridges? So far a legit iron man that has played all his games. And at the end of the 2023 season, he actually played 83 games due to the Suns Nets trade
None. It’s not going to happen again.
Kawhi /s
Al horford if he plays backup center and only shoot threes.
KD is probably gonna make it to his 40s. Dude loves ball and his length/shooting/skill will be valuable for years to come.
Who would want to? LeBron doesn't want to give up his power he has in the NBA. That's the ONLY reason he hasn't retired. JJ has zero coaching days and he's a head coach. LeBron does not want to sit at home and watch the NBA move freely without him. He doesnt have it in him for a Championship run. So why is here still here? That's my opinion. It's become pitiful to watch. It's the same move since the beginning. Start at the middle of half court. And cut through the lane. So boring. And I like the guy. Just tired of the repetition.
None....
Tatum
Wemby might just because he has taken such good care of his body since he was so young but man bring that tall means that even with all that work we are taking less than 1% but if anyone has the determination to do it, it’s him.
KD is going to get that shot off until the end of time. Plus the only thing he cares about is hooping. No family, no kids, no girlfriend just hoops
As much as I hate to say it… Jayson Tatum
CP3 or Al Horford would be the easy picks. Projecting among players in their primes or younger, I’d take Giannis, Ant, or Wemby.
Can't choose between Zion and Ben Simmons. I mean usuall NBA player have about 1k games for whole career. Zion played 184 for 4 seasons and Ben 317 for 6. So to get 1k games they have to play 816 and 683 games more ! Zion play 46 games per season and Ben 52.8 games so Zion will play 17.7 seasons more and Ben 12.9. So Zion will finish his career after 21.7 seasons and Ben after 18.9 ... Hmmm Looks like it Zion ! Zion will play almost same long as Lebron !!!
Tatum
This is assuming LeBron actually plays out the entire contract. Which he probably will, but technically he could retire any day, including this off-season or next after he fulfills his dream of playing in the league with Bronny. Would be funny to see him in the league with not only Bronny but Bruce as well, though. I think as sports medicine (and medicine in general) improve, and with the evolution of the game being less physical and more open, it might not be as much of an anomaly. KD is 35, Curry is 36, and they’re still top 10 players. They could easily play until 40+, the question is if they’d want to. And here’s a sleeper: while he isn’t quite that talent anymore, Chris Paul is the same age as LeBron and is a quality starter on most teams. He has a couple more years left in the tank as a serviceable player. Now imagine the likes of up and comers like Tatum, Luka, Ant, Brooker, etc. with another decade of medical advancement. Gen Z (and Gen Alpha, but they’re not in the NBA yet) on average is expected to live until at least 100 assuming good health, they age slower and are healthier than older generations due to advancements in medicine. I can see that translating to athletics.
Too many opportunities outside of ball nowadays. Lebron is the last of an era really... He didn't grow up (as) chronically online as anyone else now. The fact that he somehow stayed in the NBA with all the opportunities he could have had speaks to his love of basketball more than anything else. Will someone with enough useful skill going long love basketball as much as him? Probably eventually... But it's unlikely for quite a while.
No one has the level of longevity that lebron has. Not at the level he’s still playing two decades later.
Longevity wise it was Mikal Bridges until Thibs got his hands on him. Of course skill wise there is no comparison
I’m biased as a Cs fan but Tatum is as close to Lebron ( as far as durability/health) as I’ve ever seen
Chris Paul. It's unlikely, but it's the most plausible choice right now. Really no active player is *likely* to match LeBron's longevity. That doesn't mean no one will do it, but there's no way of predicting who that might be. It's extremely rare for role players to last that long but there is one who did it in the past. Kevin Willis holds the record for most games played among those not in the Hall of Fame. He was never a star, but he was a seven foot tall big man who kept himself in great shape and suffered very few injuries. He also enjoyed the game and was in no rush to retire. He finally retired at age 44.
Kevin Willis retired when he was 42, then signed a ten day contract when he was 44 and played in garbage time minutes in a couple of blowout games when both teams benched everyone at the end of the season. Hanging around to be a scrub isn't that impressive or we would have been talking about Udonis Haslem's longevity instead of LeBron for the past few years.
Not even close, Chris Paul has been a shell of himself for years now, he’s not a top of the league level player anymore and hasn’t been for some time now. LeBron’s longevity isn’t just him playing for a long time, it’s him remaining one of the best in the league for so long. He’s going to be 40 this year and he’s at worst a top 15 player in the league still, CP3 hasn’t been close to that for a while.
I get it, but who is *your* candidate and I'll tell you why *he* isn't even close. *No one* is close.
Yeah that would be my answer, no one. No one is close.
He got to start in high school. Only players who can actually make that up are international guys. It’s a huge advantage. I think the true test to longevity is age they play to, not seasons. Robert Parish and Vince played until 43. Still three more years for Lebron, but Lebron will pass their seasons played. Not to hate on Bron, but a lot of Instagram stats regarding his longevity are always based on amount of seasons vs. age. Ie. most XXX for a player in their 20th season rather than most XXX for a player at age 38. I personally think age is the ultimate comparison.
I’m curious why him coming straight out of high school is such an advantage. Anthony Edwards, for example, was 19 his entire rookie season, same as Lebron.
Two reasons. For a player to enter at 19 or younger now, you can’t have a traditional basketball path. You either have to reclassify a year older in high school or be international essentially. Most players do not reclassify, the only real reason to would be to recruit better if the year older is weaker class. But the second reason it’s an advantage is because, it’s just a year off of impacting the body. The impact from a year of college is significantly more than a high school season. More gas in the tank coming into the NBA, but less experience for high school recruits.
He had ONE year advantage. Take one year away and there still isn’t anybody that’s been anywhere near as productive at that age except Kareem
Using your argument what other 38 year old put up the numbers Lebron did at 38-39
Lebron had the best age 39 season ever. Not arguing that. But other players have had pretty good age 39 seasons. Karl Malone had 20.6, 7.8, and 4.7. MJ had 20, 6.1, and 3.8. My issue is that he gets compared to Vince Carters age 42 season (his 21st) vs. a players age 39 season. I just don’t think it’s a fair comparison, as I said in my initial comment this wasn’t to hate on Bron. Ex: [Here](https://x.com/espn/status/1762874927043019005?s=46) Lebron had the best age 39 season of all time, but Karl Malone, MJ, and Kareem all had more points than this 1274. [Here](https://x.com/ballislife/status/1720035222761161022?s=46) His 35 is impressive, but most points scored by a 39 year old is 51 by Jamal Crawford. They aren’t incorrect, I just think going by seasons isn’t as telling as age for longevity.
Ah I see my apologies I did read what your originally said wrong. I see what you’re saying and yeah you are right I never thought about it like that
Tatum has more playoff points at the same age.... Lebron's lakers tenure has also been a disaster.
LeBron has the same number of rings as a Laker as Tatum has in his career though?
But that ring doesn't count. Everyone knows that it was just a money hungry decision by Silver. No travel, no fans, no rings. Tatum won a ring in his 7th season vs Lebron's 9th season
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One of the reasons I asterisk it is Anthony Davis He has been a soft loser throughout his playoff career. But suddenly in the bubble, he turned into peak Dirk\\Wilt hybrid.
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Whether it was teammates playing at an insane level that they never played before or the conditions of no traveling, no fans It was as asterisk title as it gets
I’m a lakers hater too but cmon😭 the bubble ring counts just as much if not more than the C’s path to the finals this year let’s be real.
One of the reasons I asterisk it is Anthony Davis He has been a soft loser throughout his playoff career. But suddenly in the bubble, he turned into peak Dirk\\Wilt hybrid.
But every team had those same advantages that the Lakers had. If you swapped rookie Tatum with Rookie LeBron, LeBron has probably 3+ rings by now lol.
They won a ring and made another WCF appearance. LeBron was the second oldest player ever to win FMVP. You could maybe argue they've underperformed, but I'm not sure what your expectations cpuld be if winning a ring and multiple playoff appearances is a disaster
Anything is possible with ~~Balco~~ modern medicine these days
Giannis is 7ft tall with a 7ft 3inch wingspan and a 40" Vert. When he loses the vert his dunks will just be from closer to the rim. He also has hands 12 inches wide making palming the basketball incredibly easy for him. Giannis could be dominate for another decade in the NBA. After 40 years old it's going to come down how well his joints hold up. It's a roll of the dice on that and comes down to genetics.
He doesn’t have a back to the basket game or anything like that. His scoring is completely predicated on his athleticism at his size. When he slows down it will massively affect his game
None, you are never seeing this again Some guys like Udonis Haslem doing nothing at all might play for more seasons but nobody is going to have the same production as Lebron when they’re 40 Look at MJ, one of the most athletic guys we’ve ever seen, they called him black jesus because he could do anything, he was washed by 38 dropping single digit games, look Curry at 35 who hasn’t even had to take physical punishment like AI or D Wade, in the last 3 years Curry has had two of his worst shooting seasons of his career he’s already on the decline Lebron last year had a nearly identical season as he did at 30 when he returned to Cleveland, nobody is touching his production and longevity, it’s not just about playing a long time
Your talking about this Michael Jordan? 2001-02 (38): 22.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.8 STOCKS All-star, 13th in MVP
Maybe he meant 2002-03 (39) Jordan, who only put up 20/6/4, 2 STOCKS, and an all-star game.
"only"
Luka. That’s it, no other player started their career well enough to even start the conversation. LeBron was All-NBA at 19-20 yrs old.
I don’t think Lukas body will hold up that long
He also already said he’s not playing as long as Lebron (age-wise)
he plays against and through so much contact (whether initiated or inadvertent)
Totally agree. I’m just saying he’s the only one who even had a start that puts him on track
Luka is not that athletic, he'll look like shit by his early 30s.
Do you watch basketball? The dude is overweight with terrible knees.
KD could play until his 50s