LeBron James, Lakers
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LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers became the oldest player to be named to the All-NBA Team at 40.
LeBron James continues to defy Father Time as he rewrote history as the oldest NBA player to be in the All-NBA Team.
On Friday, the 40-year-old James was named to the All-NBA Second Team, breaking his record, which he set last year when he was 39.
James quickly showed his appreciation for the award and, like everyone else, is in awe of his achievement.
“ALL NBA at 40!! Low-key crazy to me right now! Sitting here watching the playoffs just thinking about it. Blessed beyond I can even imagine.👑🙏🏾,” James wrote on X after the league’s announcement.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar joined New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Cleveland Cavaliers forward-center Evan Mobley in the second team.
The All-NBA First Team was led by this year’s MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Joining the Canadian guard are Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić.
The All-NBA Third Team is composed of Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, LA Clippers guard James Harden, Knicks center-forward Karl-Anthony Towns and Thunder guard-forward Jalen Williams.
Despite the emergence of young stars in the league, James proved he’s still one of the league’s best, finishing sixth in the NBA MVP voting.
James helped the Lakers clinch the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference after averaging 24.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game on his 22nd NBA season. He shot 51.3% from the field and 37.6% from the three-point line.
Rich Paul Weighs in on LeBron James’ Future
James’ future continues to be one of the top storylines every offseason for the Lakers over the last few years. This offseason is no different as James has a $52.7 million player option for next season, which he has to decide on by June 29.
His agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, was non-committal on his top client’s future.
“I have no idea,” Paul said on the “Rich Eisen Show when asked about James’ plan.” “Zero.”
Paul just echoed James’ sentiments on the matter after the Lakers’ season ended with a first-round exit.
“I don’t have an answer to that,” James told reporters after their Lakers’ elimination. “Something I’ll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens. And just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play.”
Paul explained that their process is to weigh everything and see how James is feeling about continuing to play.
“Same process it’s been for the last I don’t know how many years,” Paul said. “He’ll come around to what he’s thinking at some point and we’ll kinda go over some things and go from there.”
Physical vs. Mental Exhaustion
But if and when James decides to hang up his sneakers, it’s not about physical woes. It’s going to be mental exhaustion.
“I always get asked this question,” Paul said. “Physically, he can play several more years. I don’t think it’s the physical aspect of it. I think it’s where you’re at mentally. With all these guys, I think we put so much on the individual.
“There’s a lot of layers to success as an individual. And I think when you think about him per se, there’s a lot of decisions that have to be made. You know, going into a locker room, what the roster looks like, what the approach of each player is. He’s always going to get everybody’s best shot and so is the team he’s on with the history of the team.”
James is currently recovering from a Grade 2 MCL sprain he sustained in Game 5 of the Lakers’ first-round loss in the playoffs.