The Washington Post: LeBron James’s 40th birthday milestone raises the question, what’s left?

LeBron James remained in good humour amid the countdown to his 40th birthday yesterday.

If the milestone inspired dread, regret or fear, the Los Angeles Lakers forward hasn’t let on publicly.

Like Michael Jordan, whose 40th birthday in 2003 was recognised on the cover of Sports Illustrated, James can’t hide from his age. Indeed, his most significant recent accomplishments - surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in February 2023, reaching 40,000 points this March and teaming with his son Bronny in October to become the NBA’s first father-son duo to play together - have stoked an ongoing conversation about his longevity.

James is set to become the 32nd player in NBA history to play at least one game in the regular season or playoffs after turning 40.

The four-time MVP has leaned into his graybeard status as the league’s oldest active player: He starred in Nike’s Father Time ad campaign, and he appeared alongside Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant in an OGs conversation to lead ABC’s Christmas broadcast. When he set the NBA record for minutes played this month, he quipped that teammates called him “old as hell” and then posed for a photograph with a sheet of paper that read “1 billion mins,” a tongue-in-cheek inflation of his career total of more than 57,000.

Perhaps seeking some balance, James has indulged in escapism thanks to his obsession with the Madden NFL 25 video game.

As he has fought off the age-related decline curve that comes for every basketball star, James has redefined what is possible at 40. Even so, he must now confront an existential question: What’s left to accomplish?

The big four-oh

For most of the NBA’s early signature stars - including George Mikan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West - playing at 40 was an impossibility. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird each had their careers end early, before 1990s greats Jordan, John Stockton and Karl Malone churned past the benchmark. Over the past 25 years, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal fell just short, while Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki barely crossed the line before retiring.

The NBA’s gold standard for longevity previously was Abdul-Jabbar, who won his sixth championship at 41 before retiring at 42. But because James went straight from high school to the NBA, he has already surpassed Abdul-Jabbar’s records for points, minutes and all-star selections.

“LeBron is deadly serious about taking care of his body,” Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers said this month. “Most people wouldn’t do what LeBron does off the floor, and that’s why they don’t last. LeBron has decided to do it all, and that’s why he lasts. It’s amazing to watch.”

James is occupying a much different role this season than Abdul-Jabbar, or any other star, did at the same age. Though Anthony Davis has usurped James as the Lakers’ leading scorer, James is still averaging 23.5 points - putting him among the NBA’s top 25 scorers. By comparison, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 14.6 points in 1987-88, making him the Lakers’ fourth option behind Byron Scott, James Worthy and Johnson.

A role reduction is a natural development for aging players: No 40-year-old has averaged 15 points for a season, and none has approached James’s 29.9 percent usage rate this season. Abdul-Jabbar and Stockton, among others, were productive at 40, but James is all by himself when it comes to responsibility and burden at his age.

Many members of the NBA’s 40-plus club are big men: Abdul-Jabbar, Dikembe Mutombo, Robert Parish and Kevin Willis. While size and height were once key attributes for extending a player’s career, the modern NBA places a greater emphasis on fitness, versatility and shooting. Jason Kidd, Grant Hill and Vince Carter adjusted their games to play into their 40s, transforming from all-stars into role players.

But James has stood apart from fellow athletic wings such as Hill and Carter because he has yet to make major sacrifices. His player efficiency rating of 21.8 far outpaces those of other wings at 40, and it’s rivalled only by that of Stockton, a quintessential pass-first point guard.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said this month that while James is a “freak of nature,” his mental “concentration and motivation” have been equally “amazing to watch.”

“This is something that’s never been done before,” Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “He has set the blueprint for us. We’ve just got to follow. Not only do you have to take care of your body, you’ve got to evolve your game, too.”

While James has outperformed other aging legends, he has endured his worst season, by some statistical measures, since he was a rookie in 2003-04. His box score statistics suggest he is still an all-star-caliber player, but he hasn’t been a serious MVP candidate since 2019-20.

Meanwhile, the Lakers are doing their best to stay afloat in the middle of the Western Conference standings, having advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs only once since James led them to the 2020 championship.

For much of his prime, James ranked among the NBA’s leaders in plus-minus and his teams regularly placed among the top offences. This season, James is minus-3.7 per game, the worst mark of his career, and the Lakers rank 14th in offensive efficiency. His impact numbers have taken a hit because he is dunking less often, shooting fewer free throws, struggling with turnovers and finding it difficult to maintain high energy on the defensive end.

“If you’re 40 ... it’s a lot harder physically and emotionally to face what those guys face night after night,” Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr said. “There’s a reason players have to retire. They can’t do it forever. I think it’s up to us as coaches to put the team in a place to really help.”

How much further James must evolve as this season unfolds remains open for discussion. Carter, who retired at 43 after 22 seasons, said in a recent interview on FanDuel TV that James has been “playing too many darn minutes.”

For comparison, James has logged 35 minutes per game; Carter averaged fewer than 25 during his age-40 season with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2016-17.

Shortly after an especially poor showing against the Miami Heat in early December, James sat out two games and enjoyed more than a week of rest. He returned with added pop, posting 31 points and 10 assists in a last-second win over Curry’s Warriors on Christmas.

“(James’s role) is fluid and evolving,” Lakers Coach JJ Redick said. “We’re in a good spot now with what my staff and I envisioned for how we wanted to use him. For probably the last two weeks - since whenever the Miami game was - his engagement and effort defensively have been insane for anyone. But [insane] for a 40-year-old as well.”

Landing the plane

Beyond the specifics of his week-to-week management, James is running out of items on his bucket list. After becoming the NBA’s scoring king, sharing the court with Bronny and winning his third Olympic gold medal by teaming with Curry and Durant in Paris this summer, his next major goal - to own an NBA franchise - can’t take place until after he retires.

If he picks up his $US52.6 million contract option for the 2025-26 campaign, he could set a record by playing in his 23rd season and potentially pass Kidd for third on the all-time assists leader board. From there, he could pursue a team-up with his 17-year-old son, Bryce, who will be eligible for the draft in 2026.

Though he hasn’t matched Jordan’s six championships, James has resisted the urge to chase rings in his later years by re-signing with the Lakers multiple times after winning his fourth title in 2020. Money itself isn’t much of an object: James will soon become the first NBA player with $500 million in career earnings, and he has inked a lifetime deal with Nike.

James toyed with the possibility of a retirement tour at All-Star Weekend in February, but he didn’t put any plans into motion to start the season after signing a two-year contract over the summer. The “greatest of all time” debate with Jordan shadows James’s every move, but the duelling arguments seem to have calcified unless he adds to his championship count.

Jordan celebrated his 40th birthday with a bash at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, then called it quits for the third and final time about two months later. For now, James keeps playing for as long as it beats the alternative.

“I remember the end of an era with Michael, Kobe, Magic and other great stars,” Silver said. “Fans pay attention every time they step on the court because they’re watching one of the greatest ever. (James) is still playing at an incredibly high level.”