LeBron James has scored almost 500 points more this season than every other player in their 21st season combined.
LeBron James’ dominance on the court in this 2023-24 season is unlike anything we have seen from a player in their 21st season in NBA history. Robert Parish, Kevin Willis, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, and Vince Carter are the only other players to have played a 21st season, and James has scored more points than all of them combined.
Points in the 21st Season:
LeBron James: 1,675
Other 5 combined: 1,230
Games played in the 21st Season:
LeBron James: 66
Other 5 combined: 213
Minutes Played in the 21st Season:
LeBron James: 2,317
Other 5 combined: 3,130
That amounts to James scoring 445 more points while playing 147 fewer games and 813 fewer minutes, which is simply ridiculous. I often say that some still don’t quite understand just how incredible it is that the 39-year-old is performing at such a high level at this stage of his career.
LeBron is averaging 25.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game this season for the Los Angeles Lakers. Prior to this, the most points per game a player had averaged in their 21st season came in 2018-19, when Carter averaged 7.4 points per game.
That gives some context to just how special LeBron’s season has been. Carter is also the only player to have played a 22nd season in the NBA and he averaged 5.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in that campaign. You better believe LeBron’s numbers are going to blow Carter’s out of the water.
Despite his great play, LeBron has acknowledged that his career is almost done. There isn’t much time left, he said, but he doesn’t know when it will end. LeBron is expected to retire in a year or two with the intention of capturing one more title, according to NBA insider Shams Charania.
“Most people I talk to in the league around LeBron James, one or two more years is the expectation. But it’s obvious. Based on his comments, he’s at the end of the road. For players of LeBron James’ stature, it’s hard to come to grips with the realities of retirement. I spoke to Rich Paul today, and he told me, ‘It’s like landing a plane; you don’t just land right away when you’re 45 minutes out. When you descend, there’s a warning, a little bit of an announcement.’”