NBA rookie makes LeBron James "feel old" after admitting his dad played with him

There's not much LeBron James hasn't seen or done in his NBA career, but on Monday night he was stunned after Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr made him "feel old".

Smith Jr was the third overall pick in the latest NBA draft, following in his fathers footsteps as he was also a basketball star. James has seen and heard a lot of names in the NBA since being drafted 20 years ago, but the Rockets forward reminded him of an old rival back in the day.

It turns out that James lined up against Smith Sr in his very first NBA appearance back in 2003, and the Los Angeles Lakers star was shocked. James can now say once again that he's played against two family generations in the NBA, and it's made him feel his age.

Smith Jr approached James on the court, and said: "Hey, you played against my dad your first NBA game ever." When explaining that it was in Sacramento, James joked as he responded: "Why'd you do that to me?"

It proved the stunning longevity of James' career, but the Lakers star didn't show his age one bit on Monday night. James scored a season-high of 48 points as they won 140-132, but the revelation still stuck with him, and he addressed both Smith Jr and Sr in his post-game interview.

"Made me feel old as crap, too," James said as he laughed it off on NBA TV. "He even said 'you feel old don't you' and I replied 'absolutely'.

"I've had the pleasure and the opportunity to play against a few father and son combinations, like Gary Trent and Gary Trent Jr. It's been a great ride man, in these last 20 years.

James made his debut against Smith Sr back in 2003 (Getty Images)

"I've been able to see a lot of players come in and come out so, it's been nice and it's an honour for me." James arrived in the NBA with a lot of expectation as the no.1 pick back in 2003, but no one could have foreseen this level of ability.

James is arguably the greatest NBA player of all-time, although he continues to draw comparisons with Michael Jordan over who is the undisputed champion. James is closing in on the all-time NBA points record, and should surpass the total set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar this season.