It feels like the reign of King James might never end, and it's reached new heights as LeBron James is officially the oldest player in the NBA.
LeBron earned the distinction when longtime Miami Heat stalwart Udonis Haslem retired in July, and he had an entertaining reaction as he was informed of the remarkable development, as seen in the clip below courtesy of the NBA's X account.
? LeBron?s reaction! ? pic.twitter.com/SVMEK1Miyt
— NBA (@NBA) October 5, 2023
An off-camera voice tells LeBron that he is now the oldest player in the NBA, and asks for his reaction. The always-theatrical legend then holds his hands to his head and lets out an unexpected shriek, before the camera cuts to a clip of him throwing down a vicious alley-oop, presumably in celebration of yet another remarkable accomplishment.
LeBron has been in the league for quite some time, but he's showing no signs of slowing down. This past season, he put up an incredible 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, all at the age of 38. He also helped the Lakers to a relatively unexpected playoff run after they were forced to participate in the play-in, as they took down the upstart Memphis Grizzlies before toppling LeBron's personal kryptonite, Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
James will turn 39 years old on December 30th this year, and of course will continue to be the oldest NBA player for the rest of his tenure. Just how long might that be? We can safely assume that he'll be hanging on long enough to accomplish something unprecedented such as making an All-NBA after the age of 40.
Furthermore, he has openly expressed his desire to play professional basketball with his son, LeBron James Jr. Bronny is expected to play at USC at some point this year after suffering a cardiac medical emergency this summer, so we'll see just how long it is until he's in the league, and if his dad sticks around long enough to be by his side when that day comes.
