LeBron James is the sixth player to play 21 seasons in the NBA. Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Robert Parish and Kevin Willis each reached their 21st season in the league. The eight-time All-Star first played with the Toronto Raptors in 1998 and was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 1999. After the “21 Club”, we have four other basketball greats who played for 20 seasons: Los Angeles Lakers legends, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the late Kobe Bryant, Jamal Crawford, three-time winner of the NBA's sixth man of the year award, and Udonis Haslem, of the Miami Heat. James is one of the fiercest competitors in NBA history, with four rings to his name (he's also one of only three players to have won at least one championship with three different teams). Barring an unprecedented drop, James will easily surpass any level of play shown by an NBA player in his 21st season.
The Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager, Rob Pelinka, told ESPN that the forward is preparing for the new season as a rookie. The fact that he won championships, Olympic gold medals and individual awards at his “older” age (at least in terms of professional basketball) isn't necessarily unique; the incredible thing is that James, who is currently the oldest player on the NBA roster, is still one of the most dominant players in the game. James isn't the first player to reach 21 seasons in the NBA, but he still made history by taking the floor this year. It's worth more than five 21-year-old players combined, as well as scoring efficiently, making plays and rebounds, and providing leadership and mentoring. When James and the Lakers took the floor for opening night, he joined a list that includes Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki as players who have played 21 seasons in the NBA.
If James completes this season and the next, a real possibility, since he has spoken regularly about his desire to play with his son, Bronny, who is a rookie at USC, he will equal the record for the most seasons played in the NBA (2, currently held by Carter).Schmidt, who played for several teams in Brazil, Italy and Spain, as well as for the Brazilian national team, scored 49,737 career points in all his recorded games (he also holds the Olympic record for the most points scored in a single game (5) and the average number of points per game in an Olympic tournament (42). James is the oldest active player in the NBA, but he's still one of the game's most dominant forces. Ahead of James' 21st NBA campaign, take a look at what other players were able to do in Year 21 and think about what James could accomplish in the coming year. For reference, James averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 55 games last season, the 20th best season in NBA history.
