LeBron James is what we call, in science, an anomaly. He’s someone who doesn’t fit the mold of a typical or standard athlete.
He’ll be turning 39 very soon, and yet he’s still out there, outperforming the majority of the players who are younger than him.
This season, James has averaged a whopping 26.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.5 assists. And if we look at the history of players’ stats at his age, clearly, his numbers are an outlier.
In 2015, right around when James was about to turn 31, David Berri even released an article that predicted that James was more likely to experience a decline in his performances, owing in large part to his age.
LeBron at the Peak Age
His piece revealed that a player’s peak comes at age 26 and then declines—first slowly, then abruptly.
This was corroborated by another study published by Dartmouth Sports Analytics in 2021, which agreed that the peak age comes around in the late 20’s. More specifically, in their study, they determined it to be between 27 and 28 years old, since this was reportedly the age at which a player has successfully integrated their advanced athletic skills with their in-depth game knowledge.
It also added that once the veteran players have gone past that age bracket, they will eventually start to feel the wear and tear of aging, gradually lose their athleticism, and experience a plummet in their numbers.
So, with all this science talk and prediction, why is James still in his prime?
Aside from the fact that LeBron hasn’t sustained any career-threatening injuries, some sources state that it’s largely because he strictly monitors his fitness and diet.
Nonetheless, whatever James is doing, it’s working, and each day, he’s proving his haters more and more that he belongs with the likes of Tom Brady, who won a Super Bowl at age 39, and Jaromir Jagr, who led his hockey team in scoring at age 44; the outliers of this generation, who proved that athletes can break the barriers of biology and still perform at high caliber even at a late age.
James’ latest game: Lakers vs. Rockets
In all of the Lakers’ 14 games so far this season, James has led the team seven times in terms of scoring.
In James’ latest game, Lakers vs. Rockets, he put up an impressive 37 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists.
LeBron James over his last 3 games:
37 PTS – 6 REB – 8 AST
35 PTS – 5 REB – 9 AST
28 PTS – 10 REB – 12 ASTYear 21
Don’t normalize greatness 🤴🏾🐐 pic.twitter.com/Lqyks6iQN4— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 20, 2023
Cover Photo: IG