Marlon Brando’s final scene with Al Pacino in The Godfather is a living, breathing piece of Cinema history. An established Hollywood legend handing the torch to a future icon. On what would’ve been his 101st birthday, Brando’s impact is still felt.
KING DEFYING FATHER TIME: UNMATCHED LONGEVITY & LEGACY
On Oct. 26, in the third game of his record-tying 22nd NBA season, LeBron James posted a 32-point triple-double to lead the Lakers to a win over the Kings — the same team he faced in his NBA debut exactly 21 years and three days earlier.
“We’ve all been very fortunate to watch his greatness for so long,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick (also 40) after the win. “And the fact that he’s able to keep doing it, it’s actually insane.”
Erik Spoelstra, who won two NBA titles with James in Miami, offered his own insight into LeBron’s longevity before the Lakers and Heat met in early December.
“The details of winning matter to him,” said Spoelstra.
“I just wish that I could have had all of our young players watch him in the team meetings, every locker room and film session…
“And LeBron is not fatigued at all in terms of preparation and being involved and all of that, noticing things on film and being an active participant in that. And you want young players to see that.”
James will be the 49th instance of a player aged 40+ to play in at least one game in a season. Of those previous 48 instances, only eight saw a player average 10+ ppg. James enters his 40th birthday averaging 23.5 ppg this season.
At 40 years old, LeBron has spent over half of his life in the NBA, building a resume unlike any other in the 79-year history of the league.
That includes, across the regular season and postseason, 1,807 games played, 69,434 minutes, 49,293 points and 1,167 wins — but who’s counting?
Below are more mind-blowing numbers on the King’s legendary career.
Records
Scoring King: LeBron isn’t just the only player to score 40,000 career points, he’s also the youngest player to reach every 10,000-point milestone — from 10k to 20k to 30k and 40k.
Iron Throne: Only six players are within 10,000 points of LeBron’s scoring record (41,131) — all of whom are retired.
Playoff Leader: LeBron also ranks first in total Playoff points with 8,162 — 2,175 more than the next closest player (Michael Jordan: 5,987).
Coast-To-Coast: LeBron is the only player in NBA history to score 10,000+ points with three different franchises.
Unprecedented Playmaker: With the fourth-most assists in NBA history (11,261), LeBron is the only player ranked in the top 10 in both all-time scoring and assists.
Longevity
Relentless: LeBron has averaged 25+ ppg for an NBA-record 20 straight seasons.
Start To Finish: James is the youngest (20) and oldest (39) player to average 25+ ppg in a season.
Consistent King: LeBron has scored 20+ points in an NBA record 1,254 games, and he’s averaged 20+ points in all 21 seasons.
All-Time Creator: James has assisted 183 different players and created 26,350 points off assists. For perspective, that number would rank in the Top 20 on the NBA all-time scoring list. Add Playoffs, and it jumps to 31,306.
Elite Efficiency: Throughout his career (reg. season + postseason), James has 49,293 points in 69,434 minutes, which means he’s scored 0.71 points per minute.
Floor General: James has shared the floor with 1,781 different players over his NBA career – approximately 33.8% of all players in NBA history.
At 40, LeBron’s not just defying age — he’s redefining it.
This is a very special moment for me. Been waiting patiently for this day, like a lot of yall have. I wanna say Thank you to everybody out there that kept these projects alive, even during all the years they were not on streaming services, especially this project right here. “Friday Nights Lights” finally available now on all platforms.