LeBron James made history once again. The 41-year-old became the oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, dropping 28 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds along with getting the 124-104 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
The 22-time all-star passed Karl Malone for the record, being 41 years and 44 days compared to Malone’s 40 years and 127 days. In his postgame interview, James said, “I’m more appreciative of moments like this in my career, understanding where I’m at, at the later stage of my journey. You definitely take it in a little bit More.” James was drafted as the number one overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft, and many NBA fans have yet to see a league without James.
In his 23rd season, James continues to wow fans with his high level of play. Despite the four-time champion having a slight dip in his performance so far, averaging 22 points, six rebounds and seven assists this season compared to his 2024-25 stats –24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists– he has not had a single season where he did not average over 20 points per game.
This level of performance over such a long period is remarkable and never seen it before. These performances have become normal to see time after time, but they are not and should be appreciate before his time is up.
At the beginning of the 2025-26 season, James passed the previous record holder Vince Carter for the most seasons played in NBA history, with 23 seasons played compared to Carter’s 22. James joined the Los Angeles Lakers in July 2018 and is in the final year of his contract with the team. The Hall of Famer stated multiple times that he is unsure whether he will continue his career after his 23rd season.
“My game is not going anywhere,” James said in an interview. “It’s just my body. It’s so many more factors that come with how long I will play the game. I don’t think my game will ever suffer if I decided to continue to go, however long that is. I just think it has to be [my mind]: How long can I stay in love with the process?” These words by James hit harder than ever, as the audience now witnesses players from his generation stepping away from the game.
Chris Paul’s retirement on Feb. 13 reminded NBA fans that the players we grew up with are not going to be in the league forever, and that the NBA will move on with or without them. One by one, the names the audience is so accustomed to seeing on the back of jerseys on the basketball court will soon be hanging in the rafters, leaving them with just memories.
This also forces fans to look at other stars like Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and many others to realize their time is going to come to an end at some point. This is why performances like James’ triple-double should be cherished and appreciated, because one day these performances will be distant stories and memories to be shared with the next generation.
