Paul Pierce has never been shy with his opinions, especially when it comes to his longtime rival LeBron James. This time, however, the former Boston Celtics star offered something closer to reverence than rivalry.
Speaking on the ‘KG Certified’ podcast about LeBron’s 21-year All-NBA streak officially coming to an end, Pierce made a sweeping declaration.
“Nobody will have the single greatest individual career like LeBron. When you look at it top to bottom, the numbers, the accomplishments, everything from All NBA to All Star selections to the points, nobody will ever have this type of longevity.”
“In the climate we are in, in the NBA, with load management, and LeBron being at 41, he isn’t even honoring the load management. He’s out there playing. And that’s just because he comes from a different era and cloth, to where nobody’s going to catch that.”
The context makes the statement even more significant. LeBron missed his 18th game of the season, which means he is no longer eligible for an All-NBA selection under the league’s 65-game requirement. That technicality ends one of the most absurd streaks in modern sports: 21 consecutive All-NBA appearances.
It is difficult to overstate what that represents.
LeBron entered the league in 2003. Since 2004-05, his second season, he had never failed to make an All-NBA team: 13 First-Team selections, four Second-Team nods, and four Third-Team selections. Twenty-one straight years of being recognized as one of the 15 best players in the league.
This season’s eligibility miss does not reflect decline so much as circumstance. LeBron missed the first 14 games recovering from sciatic nerve irritation, an injury that lingered from the summer and prevented him from participating in preseason action. He has since missed additional time, pushing him past the threshold.
Even in his 23rd season, at 41 years old, LeBron is averaging 22.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 7.1 assists while shooting 50.2% from the field. If he had not missed the opening stretch and logged a full preseason, he likely would have been a strong All-NBA candidate yet again.
LeBron is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer (42,975). He ranks fourth in assists (11,838), 25th in rebounds (11,940), and sixth in steals (2,384). He is in his 23rd season, the only player in league history to reach that mark, and he is on track to pass Robert Parish for the most games played.
The King also has four titles, four NBA Finals MVPs, and four MVPs to his name as well.
His playoff resume is even more staggering. He ranks first all-time in postseason points (8,289) and steals (493), second in assists (2,095), fourth in blocks (284), and ninth in rebounds (2,628). He has played more playoff games (292) than anyone and won more playoff games (184) than anyone.
Pierce’s point was not about championships or debates over who is the greatest player ever. It was about career architecture. Sustained excellence and statistical dominance layered over two decades without a meaningful drop-off.
In a league defined by shorter primes and careful workload management, LeBron built something that may never be replicated.
