Why isn't LeBron James aging?

How has LeBron James fought off Father Time so well? How is in position to make his 20th consecutive All-NBA team? This detailed film breakdown & scouting report examines how the Lakers legend uses his mind, experience, size and incredible training regimen to off-set his physical decline.

Twitter: @elgee35

Ben Taylor is the author of Thinking Basketball, a Nylon Calculus contributor, creator of the Backpicks Top 40 series & host of the Thinking Basketball podcast.

Stats courtesy:
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Footage in this video is owned by the NBA and its partners. It is intended for critique and education.

Music by AlterEgo (Lost)

#ThinkingBasketball

[playmaker]

“Even though father time is undefeated, he’s at least lost a few rounds…”

Perfect summary for one LeBron James’ career

[Windowlick_]

I feel like I've been saying to myself "LeBron will probably play 5ish more years and then call it quits" for a decade now. And it feels like he *still* could play 5 more years now.

[DrBeauHightower]

I'll still never get over how fast athletic he was in his first ten years. It was insane I've never seen anyone that big strong and fast going to the rim

[lawbinson]

As amazing and as long a career as Vince Carter had, he was basically a 3 point shooter near the end. And that was also with out-of-this world athleticism.

[livestronger]

Rising up to block with your right but blocking with your left is athletically insane

[stevenmcnabb]

As someone who doesn't know a lot about basketball but is interested in learning, I appreciate that you show highlights that best demonstrate the concepts that you're discussing, whether or not they actually result in the desired outcome (i.e., when a good read on offense doesn't result in a basket). I think it adds some authenticity to the instruction.

I enjoy your videos, thank you for making them!

[Chairsium]

20 years worth of experience in the NBA, about 2-3 eras of different playstyles, all in one of the greatest minds the game has ever seen, inside an absolute tank of a body. This dude giving Father Time a run for his money.

[BayAreaHoops]

Where I notice LeBrons age the most lately is for sure late games, by the 4th you can noticeably see him fatigued. He used to be able to play buzzer to buzzer no sweat

[CountFisco]

I think all the minutes he played in his career, from being an injury-free starter for 21 years and all those finals runs, makes his lack of regression even more impressive

[zergbong]

I am 39 in a decent shape. I can dunk, but after a dunk session I need at least a week for my knees to start functioning properly again. What this dude is doing is absolutely insane.

[ndle_king]

I've never heard anyone talk about a sport the way he does as if he was a Chess Grandmaster recalling obscure positions from decades past. Lebron is truly one of a kind to combine that with elite athleticism.

[rt]

Great video. You should continue your series from a while back when you did the top 10 players from each season, it would be sick to see that for last season or even this season when it ends.

[zotanica]

I feel like you and Cody are just throwing in more jokes into the videos and pods and I'm loving it!

[glaucon]

It’s quite unfair when Michael in his 39 scored an average of 20 pts, ppl said it was such a thing cuz he proved he could still prevail in the 2000s, while when Lebron got an unprecedented performance in his 21st season, everyone just compared him to Joker or SGA and criticized he passed his prime. 😂

[yerrtishsart]

Always love your analyst style videos (& podcasts, hi cody!)

[HiddenWen]

The guy on top of being one of the most gifted athletes to exist is also an incredibly disciplined person who takes 200% care of his body, spending millions each year on it.

[khoado]

Glad you mentioned his blocking strategy. I've been watching him for 21 years and everytime he does chase down blocks, he always go up with right arm fully extended but sill has his left arm up to ready for the reverse

[tonytooshort]

The way Jalen Green side stepped up outta there was despicable lmao

[ryuujinusa]

Would kill to see a Lebron book on diet and fitness in the future. Yes, I know a lot of it is genetics and simple hard work, but there’s gotta be some more us plebs can learn from him

[gllizzzy]

Really interesting. I went fairly deep into the chess world last year and part of what makes LeBron great is very similar to what makes top chess players like Magnus, Hikaru, and Kasparov. Their knowledge of the game, reading and anticipating positions, knowing their opponents, and ability to recall specific winning moves from a chess game played in 1973 all contribute to their mastery.