At a time in his life when the best athletes in the world are beginning to slow down, LeBron James has decided to speed up.
James turned 38 on December 30, in the midst of his 20th NBA season. He celebrated with 47 points against Atlanta and since then the NBA’s second-leading scorer has looked like his old self.
He is averaging 37 points, 9.7 rebounds and 8.6 assists in his eight-game streak with the Los Angeles Lakers since he turned 38. He has had three 40-point performances in that span, including a season-high 47 points. season, in a 140-132 win over Houston on Monday.
Older golfers pride themselves on markers that match their age.
James is practically matching his number of years against the best basketball players in the world with his points — and even with all he’s done to redefine the bar for greatness, his current streak is something special.
“He’s on an incredible pace and it’s obvious,” Lakers coach Davin Ham said.
James is close to the leading scorer in NBA history in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as he carries much of the responsibility for a decimated Lakers, at least until Anthony Davis recovers from his latest injury.
And the star has done it despite reminders of his age.
More regularly, James has been playing against the sons of players he faced early in his career, including the Rockets’ young Jabari Smith Jr. and Kenyon Martin Jr..
“Hey, you played my dad in your first NBA game!” Smith Jr. told James on the court, in dialogue captured on NBA TV cameras.
“It made me feel extremely old when Junior said that to me,” James assured with a smile. “I think he even said it, like ‘you must feel old.'”
Both Smith Sr. and Smith Jr. were in the stands watching their sons — and James’ 18-year-old son, Bronny, attends the same Los Angeles high school where Martin Jr. played. James has faced another former teammate Bronny, Zaire Williams of Memphis.
“It’s just unique to have stood the test of time like I did, to be able to compete against a father and son combination,” James said.
One night before he was due to fire up against the Rockets, James reached 38,000 career points in a 113-112 loss to Philadelphia.
The win against Houston came in their 1,400th game, the 11th most in NBA history. And if he stays healthy, he could match Robert Parish’s record 1,611 games when his contract with the Lakers expires in 2025.