Video: LeBron James Gets 40th Birthday Messages from Steve Kerr, Kevin Love, More
December 30, 2024
LeBron James received a custom 40th birthday video featuring NBA legends such as former teammates Kevin Love and Kyle Korver, Chauncey Billups, Mike Brown and Steve Kerr.
James' 40th birthday fell on Dec. 30, coinciding with his 22nd year in the NBA. The seventh-year Laker is averaging 23.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 9.0 assists while shooting 49.6 percent from the field.
The Akron, Ohio native joined the league at just 18 years old, being drafted as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his next game, projected to be against Cleveland on Tuesday, James will make history as the first NBA player to play both as a teenager and in his 40s, according to ESPN.
James joins just 23 other NBA players to play at 40 years old. Before this season, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the record for points per game by a player in his 40s, with 14.6 in the 1987-88 season, according to CBS Sports' Sam Quinn. As mentioned, James is currently averaging 23.5 points per game. Additionally, he leads the 40-plus age group in two-point field goals per game, with seven.
The four-time NBA Finals champion broke another NBA record earlier in December for having the most regular-season minutes played, and his Lakers teammates responded to the achievement with a humorous quip.
"They told me I'm old as hell," James said, per AP News' Tim Reynolds.
Fans will be eagerly awaiting James to take the court on Tuesday at home against his former team, as an official 40-year-old.
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