When four-time NBA MVP and future Basketball Hall of Famer LeBron James turned 40 on Dec. 30, it meant that the next time he stepped on the floor of the NBA game, he would become the first player in the league’s nearly 80-year history to play both as a teenager and as a 40-year-old. James accomplished that feat when he played yesterday against the team that selected him with the first pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 122-110 on Dec 31.
But there is one record King James would love to break.
Six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan — widely regarded as the greatest of all time, or GOAT, by many — did not experience team success when he played the last two seasons of his Basketball Hall of Fame career with the Washington Wizards from 2001-2003, failing to make the playoffs both seasons. However, Jordan set the record for most points scored by a player over 40 when he dropped 43 versus the New Jersey Nets on Feb. 21, 2003. Jordan also holds four of the five highest point totals in NBA history by a player over 40. Jordan scored 39, 35, and 30 as a Wizard, with former Dallas Mavericks MVP and NBA Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki scoring 30 points at 40.
The Los Angeles Lakers have 50 more games this season, meaning that the Chosen One will have 50 chances if he plays every game. The Lakers host the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 2 and the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 3.
