LeBron wants to change perception around past-their-prime athletes
LeBron James keeps getting better with age, even though he is pushing 33.
Despite starting since Day 1, playing in 15 seasons, making eight Finals appearances, and going to the playoffs 12 times, James somehow still remains the best player in the game.
None of this is supposed to happen for a player rounding into his mid-30s, but that's the exact perception James is trying to change.
"I feel good. This is my 15th year, but this is one of the best years I've had as far as how I feel, and I want to continue that," James told ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
"I want to kind of try to break the mold for the next generation. So just take the narrative out of, 'OK, you're past your prime when you get (to) 31,' or 'You're past your prime in your 12th year in the league,' or whatever the case may be."
James is the living example of how athletes are not necessarily bound to the effects of aging as dictated by a specific schedule. He is averaging career-best marks in field-goal percentage, 3-point percentage, assists, and blocks, even though he's already played more career minutes than Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Shaquille O'Neal.
"Hopefully I can break the mold, so when the next guy comes, he can still get $200 or $300 million and be 33 years old. I'm serious. You guys are laughing, I'm serious. This is the mold I'm trying to break. It's not just about me, it's for the next crew, as well ... I'll be 33 in 15 days. This is my 15th season, and this is the best I've felt in my career. I want it all."
He continued: "Listen, I want to break the mold of guys, of the stereotype of this prime thing. I know what I'm doing has not been done a lot in the history of the game, even at my age. And you look at the minutes I've played and the consecutive Finals I've been a part of, just the toll on my body, it hasn't been done."
James' fellow 2003 draft classmates haven't been so lucky. Carmelo Anthony is having the worst season of his career, while Dwyane Wade has conceded to Father Time and is coming off the bench. James is the exception, not the rule.