LeBron James remains as the best player on earth, despite being 35 and playing his 17th season in the NBA. He’s at one stage where most players decrease their level, but not Bron. This guy is so good that in his second season with the Los Angeles Lakers, he is still averaging great numbers, leading his team to be the best in the Western Conference.
James’ quality is unbelievable and so are his numbers. To put things in perspective, one Redditor, ‘Rrekydoc’, compared LeBron’s numbers to some of the best players in history at age 34 or 35. The results show only Bron and a couple of players have been that great while playing at that age.
Note: It should be kept in mind that I did not make note of injuries, defensive stats, nor adjust scoring efficiency to the era. These numbers are also not necessarily representative of how good the player was late in his career, but merely at this specific point.
If a player missed most of this season or if this age transition was between seasons, I might instead put their next closest season. If an all-time great player is omitted entirely, it may be due to a comparatively subpar season.
2020’s
Lebron James: 25.7 PPG, 7.9 APG, 10.6 RPG on 58.2% over 60 games, 47-13 win record (78.3%)
Chris Paul at 34: 17.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 6.8 APG on 60.9% over 63 games, 40-23 win record (63.5%)
2010’s
Kobe Bryant at 34: 27.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 6 APG on 57% over 78 games, 42-36 win record (53.8%). All-NBA 1st team, 5th in MVP voting
2000’s
Steve Nash: 15.7 PPG, 3 RPG, 9.7 APG on 61.5% over 74 games, 42-32 win record (56.8%)
Gary Payton at 34: 20.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG 8.3 APG on 50.4% over 80 games, 37-43 win record (46.3%)
David Robinson at 35: 14.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.5 APG on 55.9% over 80 games, 57-23 win record (71.3%) All-NBA 3rd team, 10th in MVP voting
1990’s
Karl Malone at 34: 27 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 3.9 APG on 59.7% over 81 games, 61-20 win record (75.3%) All-NBA 1st team, All-Defensive 1st team, 2nd in MVP voting
Michael Jordan: 28.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.5 APG on 53.3% over 82 games, 62-20 win record (75.6%) All-NBA 1st team, All-Defensive 1st team, MVP, NBA Champion, FMVP, All-Star MVP
John Stockton: 14.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 10.5 APG on 65.6% over 82 games, 64-18 win record (78%) All-NBA 3rd team, All-Defensive 2nd team, 15th in MVP voting
Clyde Drexler at 34: 18 PPG, 6 RPG, 5.7 APG on 54.8% over 62 games, 46-16 win record (74.2%)
Patrick Ewing at 34: 22.4 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 2 APG on 54.8% over 78 games, 54-24 win record (69.2%) All-NBA 2nd team, 8th in MVP voting
Larry Bird: 20.2 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 6.8 APG on 54.7% over 45 games, 31-14 win record (68.9%) 14th in MVP voting
1980’s
Alex English: 26.5 PPG, 4 RPG, 4.7 APG on 53.1% over 82 games, 44-38 win record (53.7%)
Artis Gilmore at 35: 19.1 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.6 APG on 68% over 81 games, 41-40 win record (50.6%)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 23.9 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 3 APG on 60.8% over 76 games, 51-25 win record (67.1%) 10th in MVP voting, NBA Champion
1970’s
John Havlicek at 34: 19.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 5.3 APG on 50.5% over 82 games, 60-22 win record (73.2%) All-NBA 2nd team, All-Defensive 1st team, 7th in MVP voting
Jerry West at 34: 22.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 8.8 APG on 53.3% over 69 games, 53-16 win record (76.8%) All-NBA 1st team, All-Defensive 1st team, 6th in MVP voting
Lenny Wilkins: 20.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 8.4 APG on 51.8% over 75 games, 31-44 win record (41.3%). 16th in MVP voting.
Wilt Chamberlain at 35: 14.8 PPG, 19.2 RPG, 4 APG on 61% over 82 games, 69-13 win record (84.1%) All-NBA 2nd team, All-Defensive 1st team, 3rd in MVP voting, NBA Champion, FMVP
Elgin Baylor at 35: 24 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 5.4 APG on 53.7% over 54 games. 29-25 win record (53.7%) 15th in MVP voting.
Players like Karl Malone, Wilt Chamberlain, and Michael Jordan had a similar season to LeBron at 34-35. John Stockton and Kobe Bryant also earned All-NBA honors, even getting votes for the MVP award.
What LeBron is doing is something remarkable. He’s still the best player on earth at 35 and he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down anytime soon. He’s looking for his fourth NBA championship this year to join Jordan and Chamberlain as the only players on the list that won a ‘ship at this stage of their career, actually carrying their teams.
The NBA is set to return on July 31 and Bron is ready to increase his legacy in the NBA.
