Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is now well into uncharted territory when it comes to how high a level an athlete can perform at despite his or her age. Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant knows that, and he recently paid James an incredible compliment.
At 38 years old, James is still competing at the highest level of competition in the NBA. Every season, people think that age will finally catch up to him, and every season, those people are proven wrong.
Durant spoke on the matter during a recent episode of “NBA HooperVision.”
KD on LeBron's legacy and longevity.#NBAHooperVision
📲 https://t.co/VPCjoRV5NJ pic.twitter.com/f3D00IYyrx— NBA (@NBA) January 28, 2023
“He’s setting the bar for what an athlete wants to be,” Durant said. “Not everybody can do this. This is like the greatest that you can get. … Especially in our era of basketball, to have someone who accomplished something like that is inspiring to see. It’s gonna set the precedent for basketball players for a long time.”
Durant has never been one to shy away from praising other players. Though some may have an issue with the way in which he’s carried himself in the past, no one can doubt the two-time champion’s love for the game. His knowledge of the game is also unquestionable.
Still, for him to praise James in such an incredible way is pretty amazing.
With that in mind, James deserves all of the praise. It’s stunning to be able to say that at 38 years of age, James is arguably having one of the best seasons of his career this season. So far, his season averages in points per game and rebounds per game are better than his career numbers.
To make things even more incredible, James is getting closer and closer to breaking the all-time scoring record that has been held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for years. It’s now a foregone conclusion that James will break the current record. The only questions now are when will he break it and what will the new record be once his career is over.
The only real change fans have seen in James as he has continued to age has been his health. Over the past two seasons prior to this one, James missed a fair number of games. He played in just 45 games in the 2020-21 season, and he improved upon that just slightly last season by playing in 56 games.
So far, he’s managed to avoid any major absences this season and played in 39 games. He’s on pace to have a pretty full season as long as he can keep his body right.
