LeBron James has shared that he feels “old” after learning that he’s faced off against 37 percent of all NBA players in the history of the league.
In a new video that sees the LA Lakers star playing golf with Robby Berger of Bob Does Sports, 41-year-old LeBron, who has played in 23 NBA seasons, reflected on how the aforementioned career factoid made him feel his age.
“I seen some shit that made me feel so old the other day, I think it was like, I’ve played against 37 percent of the NBA history of players,” he said around the 24:29 mark in the clip below. “You fucking guys thought that made me feel good? No, it did not. It made me feel worse. I’ve played against, like, 25 dad-son combinations.”
LeBron joked that he’s been playing in the NBA for so long that he could play against Wilt Chamberlain’s grandson. Chamberlain, often regarded as one of the defining players in the league’s history, played professionally from 1952 to 1973. “It didn’t make me feel good,” LeBron said while laughing.
LeBron James holds the record for most seasons played in the NBA with 23. He played with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2003 to 2010, the Miami Heat from 2010 to 2014, and then returned to the Cavaliers from 2014 to 2018. He’s been with the Los Angeles Lakers since 2018.
Following the Lakers’ win against the Houston Rockets last month (March 18), LeBron admitted that he’s feeling his age this season.
“I feel like shit right now,” he told reporters, per People. “Look at me right now. Right now, I feel like shit, but in the game I felt pretty good.” Even though his peak performance days are behind him now, he still managed to secure six impressive dunks during the Lakers-Rockets game.
“It’s pretty cool to still be able to play at this level, you know, at this juncture in my career,” he added.