LeBron James: Shaping a legacy in his 21st season
James is the oldest active player in the NBA but is still one of the most dominant forces in the game. In his 21st season, the King still has plenty of records and accolades to strive for.
Basketball
Basketball has always been full of fun and creative nicknames, but none have been as accurate or prophetic as the ones placed upon LeBron James when he was still a freshman at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School.
"King James". "The Chosen One."
Lofty titles for someone so young, but it goes without saying that James has lived up to the hype — and then some.
At 38 years old, James has won everything there is to win in professional basketball. The fact that he's won championships, Olympic gold medals and individual accolades at his 'advanced' age (at least in terms of professional basketball) isn't neccessarily unique; what is incredible is that James, who is currently the oldest player on an NBA roster, is still one of the most dominant players in the game.
In fact, with the 2023-24 NBA season fast approaching, LeBron James is preparing to strengthen his incredible basketball legacy even further.
James' commitment to his health has prolonged his longevity
Whenever the topic surrounding the greatest basketball player of all time is debated, James and the legendary Michael Jordan are typically mentioned in the same breath. Both shared a unique dedication to keeping their physical fitness at absolute peak levels, which is partly why Jordan was able to play in the NBA until he was 40.
But while Jordan had previously retired on two separate occasions before finally calling it quits in 2003 (when his body started to break down on him), James still demonstrates elite athleticism whenever he steps on the court. The Akron, Ohio native reportedly spends vast sums on his nutrition, workout regimen and other health-related items (including cryotherapy and hyperbaric chambers) which goes some way to explaining how the four-time league MVP is still an elite force at the ripe age of 38.
In fact, despite playing fewer minutes in 2022-23 than the previous season (35.5 per game compared to 37.2), James still logged the second-most minutes he's had since joining the Lakers in 2018. Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka told ESPN that the forward is preparing for the new season "like a rookie."
"It's staggering for a player who has 20 years under the hood already and is preparing for 21 like he's a rookie," Pelinka said. "He's been doing 6 a.m. workouts. Probably been in our building as much as any player this offseason. Been in the weight room as much as any player. Any team LeBron's played for, it's been pretty uniform that his work sets the tone."
Chasing - and making - basketball history
Last season James surpassed another Laker great - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - as the league's all-time leading scorer (38,387 points), breaking a record that Abdul-Jabbar had held for almost 39 years. As we enter the 2023-24 campaign, James currently sits on 38,652 regular season points — just 1,348 points away from becoming the first NBA player to amass 40,000 points in the regular season.
- LeBron James points tracker
- LeBron James passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become NBA's all-time scoring leader
That would be a historic achievement on its own, but James - who entered the NBA with the goal of becoming a "global icon" - must be aware of the international points record he's closing in on, currently held by Brazilian legend Oscar Schmidt, who retired in 2003. Schmidt, who played for multiple teams in Brazil, Italy and Spain, as well as the Brazilian national team, scored 49,737 career points through all of his recorded games (he also holds the Olympic records for most points scored in a single game (55) and points per game average at an Olympic tournament (42.3)). James, a three-time Olympic medallist himself, enters the season with 48,080 total career points.
James has a great opportunity to pass Abdul-Jabbar in another category, too: all-time NBA minutes played. He only needs 549 to pass the Hall of Famer. Assuming James does climb to the top in all three of the aforementioned categories, there's a good chance the 19-time All-Star could hold all three records for even longer than Jabbar and Schmidt did.
Joining an exclusive NBA club
When the Lakers and Denver Nuggets open the 2023-24 season on 24 October, James will become just the sixth player in NBA history to play in 21 seasons in the league, joining Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Robert Parish and Kevin Willis. If James completes this season and the next - a real possibility as he has regularly spoken of his desire to play with his son, Bronny, who is a freshman at USC - then he will equal the record for most seasons played in the NBA (22), currently held by Carter.
But while these players were pretty much winding down their careers during their final year in the NBA, averaging a combined 29.0 points per game on roughly 10 minutes per game (or less), James is fresh off a season in which he averaged 28.9 points on 35.5 minutes per game. He's also likely to become the second player to score 25 points or more in his 21st season or beyond, when Nowitzki tallied 30 in his final home game in Dallas back in 2019.
The pursuit of a fifth NBA championship
James is one of the fiercest competitors in NBA history, with four rings to his name (he's also one of only three players to win at least one championship with three different teams). He's only missed the playoffs four times in his career, and with the Lakers enjoying a successful offseason in the trade and free agency markets, the expectation is that we will see Los Angeles in the postseason once again.
"I'm excited about us returning our core," James said on media day, "and then bringing in a lot of very, very, very good players that can help us continue to roll."
Should the 6'9 (2.06m), 250lb (113kg) forward help guide LA to the 2024 title, the Lakers would break a tie with the Boston Celtics for most championships in NBA history (18). If he were to win the Finals MVP award for a fifth time, James would become the oldest player (at this point 39) to receive the accolade, once again passing Abdul-Jabbar who was named Finals MVP in 1985 when he was 37 years old.
So while James' trophy cabinet and personal record book are filled to the brim, there's still plenty for the basketball icon to achieve before Father Time catches up with him (and that race seems far from over).
Assembling the 'Avengers' for Paris 2024
James is said to have expressed his willingness to commit to the Games next summer as well as speaking to other stars in a bid to recruit them to the cause.
Among those James is said to have spoken to are four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry, three-time Olympic champion Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and Draymond Green.
James last represented the USA on the international level at the London 2012 Olympic Games, where Team USA won gold.