For the last several years, many have waited for LeBron James to start declining or at least show some real signs of aging. But it hasn’t really happened, at least not yet.
This season, he turned 39 years of age, but he didn’t play like it. He averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds a game while shooting 54.0% from the field, which was his highest accuracy in six years. He also made 41.0% of his 3-point attempts, which was his highest 3-point percentage ever for an entire season.
As a result, James was named to the All-NBA Third Team on Wednesday. It marked his 20th selection to one of the three All-NBA teams, which keeps him as the all-time leader in that category by a mile.
LeBron James becomes the first player to be selected to 20 All-NBA teams.
WITNESS 👑 pic.twitter.com/MZdeG5b2kt
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) May 23, 2024
In doing so, he is now the oldest player in NBA history to be named to an All-NBA team. He was also the youngest player to do so back in the 2004-05 season.
Youngest player to make an All-NBA team:
— LeBron James (2005 • 20 y/o)
Oldest player to make an All-NBA team:
— LeBron James (2024 • 39 y/o) pic.twitter.com/Wf1tetwnEx
— StatMamba (@StatMamba) May 23, 2024
Previously, the oldest player to make an All-NBA team was Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during the 1985-86 campaign. At the time, he was merely about eight months younger than James is now.
James may not be the greatest player in basketball history, but he does have the greatest longevity of any NBA player ever. That includes Abdul-Jabbar, who was ahead of his time back in the day when it came to taking care of his body and working on his overall fitness.
