Dec 21, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) is introduced before the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Milwaukee Bucks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
How long does “The King” have left?
Years have gone by with a certain question in mind. With the rise of NBA players like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and others, is the throne of “The King” being usurped? It seems like each time this question seems to rise that LeBron answers with a performance statement that shows us all he is still the top player in the NBA.
Take the 2016 playoffs for example. The whole season, the only player or team anyone could talk about was Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, asking the question, is Steph Curry taking over LeBron’s throne? And just like that LeBron leads a Cavalier’s come back from a 3-1 deficit in the 2016 NBA Finals and knocks off the world record setting Warrior’s team, reclaiming the seat as the best in the world.
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This brings us to an even more important question. How long does the recently turned 32-year-old “King” have until he isn’t able to reclaim the throne any longer? Here’s what Skip Bayless has to say on the matter:
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.
Michael Jordan is not a good comparison though, seeing that he left the Chicago Bulls at age 30 for two years, then returned for 3 seasons and then left for 3 years to return for 2 last seasons. A better comparison that Fox Sports uses is 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.”
So how many years does “The King” have left on the throne?
Dec 2, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) is defended by Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) during the second quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
How LeBron James is prolonging his Throne reign.
We also have to take into account that since coming into the league out of high school, no player has played more regular season and playoff minutes than LeBron James.
With this being said, how does his current situation prolong his reign on the throne. His supporting cast of shooters is what is going to prolong his reign. If you look at his assists over the years they have gone up and down, but this year he is averaging the most assists he has ever averaged in his illustrious 14-year career.
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Season Age Tm AST PTS
2003-04 19 CLE 5.9 20.9
2004-05 20 CLE 7.2 27.2
2005-06 21 CLE 6.6 31.4
2006-07 22 CLE 6.0 27.3
2007-08 23 CLE 7.2 30.0
2008-09 24 CLE 7.2 28.4
2009-10 25 CLE 8.6 29.7
2010-11 26 MIA 7.0 26.7
2011-12 27 MIA 6.2 27.1
2012-13 28 MIA 7.3 26.8
2013-14 29 MIA 6.3 27.1
2014-15 30 CLE 7.4 25.3
2015-16 31 CLE 6.8 25.3
2016-17 32 CLE 8.6 25.6
LeBron has at least 4-5 more years of superstar top-3 player quality, especially with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and a team full of shooters. LeBron doesn’t feel the need to get to the rim as much which is inevitably prolonging his career.
After that time, I think LeBron, as physically dominant as he is, has 3-4 more years of star quality. All-in-all, I think LeBron has 8-9 more years of quality basketball left in him, and hopefully multiple rings for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
