We all know Father Time is undefeated. Some players have made it to play in the NBA past 40. LeBron James has amazed NBA fans for 21 seasons and will enter his 22nd season. James is on contract with the Los Angeles Lakers until 2026. On December 30th of this year, LeBron James will turn 40. Like many other NBA fans, the present writer wonders how long King James can keep dazzling us with spectacular play. Will he win his fifth NBA championship?
Unless you have been living in a cave, you know James has run wild in the NBA and has broken quite a few records while doing it. LeBron is the first NBA player to have over 30,000 points, 10,000 assists, and 10,000 rebounds. The Akron native is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Many NBA fans and experts didn’t think these records could be broken. James is a four-time NBA champion, regular season MVP, and NBA Finals MVP. Also, he just won his third gold medal at the Olympics. However, can LeBron James be one of the few NBA players above 40 to win an NBA championship? There are plenty of players above the age of 40 to play the game; few have won a championship at that age, but this article identifies the three who have.
Robert Parish
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NBA Hall of Fame center Robert Parish was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the first round with their 8th pick in 1976 from Centenary College in Louisiana. Parish only spent four seasons with the Warriors before being traded to the Boston Celtics in 1980, where he spent most of his career in the NBA. While in Boston, he won three NBA championships and was a nine-time NBA All-Star. After 14 seasons with the Celtics, The Chief played for the Charlotte Hornets for two seasons, totaling 155 games.
After being waived by the Hornets, the Chicago Bulls signed him in 1996. Sounds familiar, right? He would spend his final season in the NBA alongside the Bulls NBA Hall of Famers Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. Not only did he win his fourth championship with the Bulls, but he also was the oldest player to play in the NBA at 43 in 1996. Robert Parish was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003 after 21 seasons in the NBA.
Kevin Willis
Power forward Kevin Willis spent 22 seasons in the NBA and played with eight different teams. He was drafted in 1984 from Michigan State University to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round with the 11th pick. Willis spent nine seasons with the Hawks before being traded to the Miami Heat in 1994. After just two seasons, he was traded to the Golden State Warriors. He was released from the Warriors and then picked up by the Houston Rockets in 1996. Between 1998 and 2001, Kevin Willis went from Houston to the Toronto Raptors to the Denver Nuggets, and by October 21, 2001, Willis would end up back where he started in 1996, Houston, although released at the end of the season.
On August 26, 2002, the San Antonio Spurs signed Willis as a free agent. He would play alongside Hall of Famers David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili to win his first NBA championship at 41. He went back to the Atlanta Hawks and then retired. However, in the following season, the Dallas Mavericks signed him, and he played five games for them at 44. Willis made the All-Star team in the 1991-92 season.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
This NBA Hall of Fame center needs no introduction. He had the NBA on fire when he entered the league from UCLA in 1969, being drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1st round with the first pick. The Tower of Power would spend six seasons in Milwaukee, giving them their first and only NBA championship in 1971 until 2021. Abdul-Jabbar would go to the Los Angeles Lakers and continue his dominance. He played alongside other NBA legends and Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Byron Scott, and A.C. Green, to name a few.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a six-time NBA MVP and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. He was the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points until February 7, 2023, when some guy by the name of LeBron James surpassed him. Abdul-Jabbar would win six NBA Championships in his 20 seasons in the NBA. He would win his fifth championship at 40 and play only one season after that, retiring at 41.
LeBron James in the Near Future
It could be possible for LeBron James to get another NBA title at 40, and he could be a major part of that success with the Lakers. He has already broken many records in the NBA and will continue to raise the bar in many categories. One thing is certain: We will witness legendary NBA moments as long as King James stays healthy for the next couple of seasons. Like him or not, you must respect this man’s focus and determination to play at such a high level for so long.
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