LeBron James is setting a new benchmark for how players could perform 21 years into their NBA career. James’ longevity is unprecedented, which prompted Gilbert Arenas to compare LeBron at age 39 to Michael Jordan at the same age playing for the Washington Wizards, claiming James shouldn’t be expected to contend for a title because Jordan didn’t at that age either.
“Why is (LeBron James) expected to win, when the GOAT (Michael Jordan) didn’t? They (MJ’s Wizards) had high hopes for that second year and they fell short, and no one blamed Michael Jordan for it because of his age.”
Jordan’s Wizards teammate and future Cavaliers’ teammate for LeBron, Brendan Haywood, responded to Arenas’ comments by reminding him that LeBron has a top teammate like Anthony Davis next to him.
“MJ didn’t have Anthony Davis on his team or anybody remotely close to his level of talent.”
MJ’s best teammate during his time on the Wizards was Jerry Stackhouse, who averaged 21.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists that season and was arguably their best player with a 39-year-old MJ beside him. Jordan averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists as the Wizards finished 37-45, missing the playoffs.
We don’t know if James will miss the playoffs or not, but he’s averaging 24.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 7.6 assists at age 39, which is also his 21st season in the NBA. His star teammate Davis is averaging 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks, arguably the better player at this point but still reliant on LeBron producing at an All-NBA level to put up the 21-21 record they have so far this season.
Should LeBron James Be Held To A Different Standard?
Perception is the major problem here. If LeBron has fallen off majorly as other players with his miles do, this wouldn’t be a conversation. We can see James still perform at a top-ten level, which is why championship expectations are placed on him. His Lakers team made the Western Conference Finals last year, so a natural step forward would be title contention.
Jordan had missed the playoffs in his 2001-02 season with the Wizards as well and was not the player we had seen on the Bulls. He was still capable of putting up numbers but wasn’t the same player he was. The reason they had playoff hopes in 2002-03 was simply because that was expected of Jordan, though his body wasn’t capable of carrying the team that far.
Jordan also retired having played five fewer seasons than LeBron, so the miles on James’ body are second to none. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has played more regular season minutes than LeBron, while James stands as No. 1 when you combine regular season and playoff minutes.
LeBron has set a new standard, one that even Jordan hadn’t set. Naturally, that leads to higher expectations. Jordan also retired as the undisputed GOAT, something James is still chasing and could make a stronger case for by winning a title at this age. The expectations are a natural result of the excellence we continue to see on the court.
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