Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is getting up there in age, and because of that, many people believe that he is no longer the best player in the NBA.
One person who still believes that he is, however, is none other than two-time MVP and one-time NBA champ Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Interestingly enough, Antetokounmpo is one of the players people bring up when they argue that James has been overtaken as the best player in the league.
Antetokounmpo’s reasoning for why James still reigns supreme is one filled with respect and awe.
“It’s interesting to me how LeBron is still [in] one of the best shapes [of] his life and being the best player in the world and still being in year 18,” he told Marca Basket. “Like, that’s really interesting. I want to know how he does that. He’s been consistent for 18 years. He’s always there. He’s always showing up. That’s unbelievable.
“He obviously gets credit, but I think we’ve got to give him more credit. Doing it for 18 years guys, that’s hard. And hopefully, hopefully I can be there. Hopefully, I can do this for 18 years, 20 years. That’s the goal.”
Without a doubt, James has completely changed what was previously believed to be possible in terms of NBA stars extending their prime years.
Last season, he averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. He turned 37 years old in the middle of the season and was in striking distance of the scoring title by the season’s end.
Though James’ production is still up there, one thing that cannot be ignored is the number of games he’s missed over the last four seasons. In each of his seasons with the Lakers, he’s played in 67 games or less.
Though James is seemingly doing the impossible when it comes to producing at such a high level despite his age, there are definite signs that Father Time will win this battle as well.
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Prior to James, the general belief was that a player would start to fizzle out and decline sometime between his early and mid-30s. James, on the other hand, seems like he could still be dominant well into his 40s.