LeBron James and the continued greatness of the ‘old’ superstars
LeBron James’ 2025-26 marketing campaign is so clearly the biggest age-41 season in NBA historical past, it’s really hilarious. Only 4 different gamers have even managed to play half a season at 41 years previous, and James has primarily matched their mixed manufacturing.
AGE | SEASON | PTS-REB-AST | FG%/3P%/FT% | PER | |
LeBron James | 41 | 2025-26 | 21-6-7 | 51/31/74 | 20.1 |
Kevin Willis | 41 | 2003-04 | 3-2-0 | 47/0/62 | 14.9 |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 41 | 1988-89 | 10-5-1 | 48/0/74 | 12.9 |
Vince Carter | 41 | 2018-19 | 7-3-1 | 42/39/71 | 10.8 |
Robert Parish | 41 | 1994-95 | 5-4-1 | 43/0/70 | 10.1 |
The previous man’s nonetheless received it. Or the previous guys nonetheless received it, we must always say. Because Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard are placing collectively particular years for his or her ages, too.
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Where do Durant and Curry rank on an age-37 scale? Pretty excessive! In reality, only three players ever they’ve averaged 25 factors per sport at 37 years previous, and two of them — Durant and Curry — are doing it this season. (The different is, of course, LeBron.)
Only 12 players ever made an All-Star crew at age 37, together with Durant and Curry. Only three of them — LeBron, Kareem and Karl Malone — made an All-NBA crew at 37. So, you might additionally make a very good case Durant is having fun with the greatest age-37 common season ever:
AGE | SEASON | PTS-REB-AST | FG%/3P%/FT% | PER | ALL-NBA | |
LeBron James | 37 | 2021-22 | 30-8-6 | 52/36/76 | 26.2 | third Team |
Carl Malone | 37 | 2000-01 | 23-8-5 | 50/40/79 | 24.7 | third Team |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 37 | 1984-85 | 22-8-3 | 60/0/73 | 22.9 | 2nd Team |
Kevin Durant | 37 | 2025-26 | 26-5-5 | 52/41/88 | 21.0 | ??? |
Only Abdul-Jabbar made the All-NBA Second Team at age 37 (each James and Malone have been members of the Third Team), and Durant has a substantial alternative to hitch him.
James’ Los Angeles Lakers didn’t make the playoffs in his age-37 season. Malone’s Utah Jazz misplaced in the 2001 first spherical. Abdul-Jabbar led his Lakers to a championship, profitable Finals MVP honors. So, it will likely be robust for Durant to match that feat, even when he presently ranks second in the NBA in whole minutes for a 50-win Houston Rockets crew.
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As far as common seasons go, although, Durant is the purpose why Houston nonetheless has a top-10 offense, regardless of dropping each Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams to season-ending accidents. He is averaging 26-5-5 on 52/41/88 taking pictures splits. Only Al Horford, who was a fifth choice on the 2024 NBA champion Boston Celtics, was more efficient at 37 years previous.
(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
Curry may need joined Durant on an All-NBA crew if he had not failed to satisfy the NBA’s 65-game requirement. In 40 video games, he’s averaging 27-4-5 on 47/39/93 taking pictures splits. His shortened season completely nonetheless qualifies as one of the greatest age-37 years in history.
Most shocking, although, is likely to be the place Leonard ranks on an age-34 scale. He is averaging 28-6-4 on 51/38/90 taking pictures splits, arguably his greatest common season in a Hall of Fame profession, for a Los Angeles Clippers crew certain for the play-in match.
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He, too, may crack the All-NBA First or Second Team. In which case, he would be a part of one other extraordinarily quick listing of gamers who’ve achieved that feat at age 34:
AGE | SEASON | PTS-REB-AST | FG%/3P%/FT% | PER | ALL-NBA | |
Kawhi Leonard | 34 | 2025-26 | 28-6-4 | 51/38/90 | 28.2 | ??? |
Carl Malone | 34 | 1997-98 | 27-10-4 | 53/33/76 | 27.9 | 1st Team |
Michael Jordan | 34 | 1997-98 | 29-6-4 | 47/24/78 | 25.2 | 1st Team |
Stephen Curry | 34 | 2022-23 | 29-6-6 | 49/43/92 | 24.1 | 2nd Team |
Jerry West | 34 | 1972-73 | 23-4-9 | 0/48/81 | 23.2 | 1st Team |
Kobe Bryant | 34 | 2012-13 | 27-6-6 | 46/32/84 | 23.0 | 1st Team |
Sam Cassell | 34 | 2003-04 | 20-3-7 | 49/40/87 | 22.8 | 2nd Team |
Hakeem Olajuwon | 34 | 1996-97 | 23-9-3 | 51/31/78 | 22.7 | 1st Team |
Pau Gasol | 34 | 2014-15 | 19-12-3 | 49/46/80 | 22.7 | 2nd Team |
Chris Paul | 34 | 2019-20 | 18-5-7 | 49/37/91 | 21.7 | 2nd Team |
Patrick Ewing | 34 | 1996-97 | 22-11-2 | 49/22/75 | 21.3 | 2nd Team |
Elgin Baylor | 34 | 1968-69 | 11-25-5 | 45/0/74 | 20.7 | 1st Team |
Dikembe Mutombo | 34 | 2000-01 | 10-14-1 | 48/0/73 | 17.5 | 2nd Team |
John Havlicek | 34 | 1974-75 | 19-6-5 | 46/0/87 | 16.7 | 2nd Team |
Bob Cousy | 34 | 1962-63 | 13-3-7 | 0/40/74 | 16.6 | 2nd Team |
Again, there’s a fairly good argument to be made — one primarily based on Player Efficiency Rating — that Leonard is having fun with the biggest statistical age-34 common season ever.
To be honest: It is difficult to prime Michael Jordan’s age-34 season. In 1997-98, he led his Chicago Bulls to a sixth championship in eight years, sweeping the regular-season and Finals MVP awards. For good measure, Jordan additionally made the All-Defensive First Team at 34 years previous.
HoweverLeonard is averaging comparable numbers to ’98 Jordan on higher effectivity (Kawhi: 63.0 TS%; Jordan: 53.3 TS%), which explains the PER hole. There can also be an All-Defensive case for Leonard this season, as he’s amongst the NBA’s leaders in each steals and deflections. Only Nikola Jokić (+16.7) and Victor Wembanyama (+15.7) personal a better on/off effectivity ranking than Leonard (+14.7) amongst NBA regulars, for Cleaning the Glass.
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It is a testomony to this 12 months’s MVP subject that Leonard might be having fun with a statistically comparable season to ’98 Jordan and end no larger than fifth in the voting. That is how good Jokić, Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Dončić have been this season.
It can also be no assure Leonard even cracks the All-NBA First Team, since Jaylen Brown is having fun with a comparable season (29-7-5 on 48/35/80; 22.2 PER) for a greater crew. Plenty of different candidates, together with Donovan Mitchell, warrant severe consideration.
Should Leonard make the All-NBA Second Team as a substitute, he shall be the first non-center to log a 28.1 PER and fail to make the All-NBA First Team since 27-year-old Durant in 2015-16.
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In different phrases, both evaluate Leonard’s age-34 marketing campaign to Jordan’s at the similar age or to prime Durant. Either one. Point being: We are witnessing some of the greatest age-34, age-37 and age-41 seasons, all at the similar time, courtesy of Leonard, Durant and James.
Appreciate them when you can, for none of them could make it out of the opening spherical. Partly as a result of Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama are respectively having fun with two of the greatest age-27 and age-22 seasons ever. The similar might be mentioned of Jokić at age 30, Dončić at age 26, Cooper Flagg at age 19 and extra. It is a humiliation of NBA riches.
