National Basketball Association

How many years does LeBron James have left as the NBA's top player?

Published Nov. 15, 2016 3:02 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

Andrew Lynch

After a year of watching people like me question whether his throne had been usurped, LeBron James used the 2016 NBA playoffs to reestablish his dominance as the game's best player.

That raises an interesting question, though. How many more years can the 31-year-old superstar keep up this level of production? How much longer can LeBron be LeBron? Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe gave their answers on Thursday's Undisputed.

Shannon gives LeBron just a few more years as one of the top three players in the game before he'll fall back just a little bit:

Skip takes it a step further -- LeBron has five more years ahead of him as one of the best:

In five years, LeBron will be 36, on the verge of 37. The obvious comparison would be how Michael Jordan played at that age, but it's not an easy one to make. Jordan was retired at 36 years old; when he came back at 38 with the Wizards, he clearly wasn't the same player. One interesting thing to note, however, is that Jordan never let his advanced age limit his time on the court. In his final season with the Bulls, His Airness averaged 38.8 minutes per game; in two seasons with Washington, he still managed 36.1 minutes per contest -- the same as a 30-year-old LeBron in 2014-15.

A better comparison might be Karl Malone. The Jazz forward remained a dominant force well into the twilight of his career. In 1999-00, Malone's age-36 season, he was second in the league in Player Efficiency Rating (trailing only Shaquille O'Neal) and fifth in points per game. The Mailman famously kept himself in outstanding shape once he was past his athletic prime, something we can count on from LeBron as he ages.

More than anything, though, it's LeBron's unique approach to the game that should keep him at the very top longer than any player we've seen before. As his body breaks down, LeBron can choose to focus even more on passing and setting up teammates. He can even reverse some of the modern trend toward 3-point shooting, settling in as a post player who uses his ridiculous basketball IQ to rip opponents apart with well-timed passes to open shooters and cutting teammates. If he continues to evolve, he might have a chance to surpass Jordan as the greatest ever.

The LeBron we know today isn't the LeBron we'll know in five years. That thought alone should terrify his opponents.

share

Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Basketball Association