At 35-years-old, LeBron James is doing some miraculous things.
He’s grabbing rebounds, scoring buckets at will, dishing out assists, staying healthy and durable, all while leading the Lakers to the best record in the West and the second-best record in the NBA.
Perhaps most impressive of all is the fact that he’s outperforming his younger self. In years 1-7 combined, James averaged 27.2 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds. This season (his 17th in the league) he’s averaging 25 points, 10.8 assists, and 7.8 rebounds. Young LeBron was a beast, unlike anything we had ever seen. With age usually comes a major decline, but not for James.
He has found a way to compensate for his athletic losses by mastering the jumper and relying on his mental abilities more than anything else.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_3qFsysiuY
Somehow, LeBron is still King. And the performance he is putting on now, at this age, with so much mileage on his body, is unprecedented.
It’s no secret that Bron takes great care of his body. He spends millions of dollars and countless hours treating, repairing, and preparing his body for the physical grind of an 82-game season. He has also adjusted his game on the court to include more playmaking and jump-shooting than dunking and driving.
These things have helped James postpone his expiration date as a star, and it’s hard to say for certain how long he can keep it up. The best we can really do is just appreciate what he’s doing.
