Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick is 41 years old. The Duke legend completed his 15-year NBA playing career in 2021, and Redick was hired as the Lakers’ head coach in June 2024.
LeBron James is also 41 years old. The 22-time All-Star, four-time NBA MVP, and four-time NBA champion is in his league-record 23rd season.
In the Lakers’ 124-116 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night, James bent the rules of what 41 is supposed to look like. James snatched an alley-oop out of thin air for an emphatic dunk and finished the game with 30 points on 13-of-14 shooting.
After the Lakers’ seventh straight win, Redick said what we all feel: “Watching him, it actually probably makes me feel like a loser.”
Redick lamented how “out of shape” he is by comparison, but he pointed out, “I could touch the rim still. I can’t jump for three days after it, but I get one jump in me.”
According to the Associated Press‘ Tim Reynolds, James has played in 1,610 regular-season games, which is one short of Robert Parish’s all-time record. “He never shot better in a game — regular season or playoffs, even — than he did tonight,” Reynolds wrote after Wednesday night’s game. “Tonight: 13 for 14. Feb. 4, 2013: 13 for 14. Absolutely insane.”
For reference, James’ 13-of-14 performance on Feb. 4, 2013, came in a Miami Heat win over the then-Charlotte Bobcats.
James is as close as possible to athletic invincibility, but he is still human. Late in Wednesday night’s win, Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. committed a hard foul on James, who told ESPN’s Lisa Salters that he’d “throw some ice” on his elbow and hoped to be available for the Lakers’ Thursday night matchup in Miami.
As of this writing, James is listed as questionable with foot arthritis.
James missing the second game of a back-to-back wouldn’t be the end of the world for the Lakers, even if their winning streak ends. The bigger picture is making a deep playoff run with James and Luka Doncic leading the way, especially since it will likely be James’ final playoffs wearing purple and gold. This is the last year of James’ contract with the Lakers.