SI

JJ Redick Had Relatable Message the Day Before LeBron James's 41st Birthday

The oldest player in the NBA turns 41 on Tuesday.

Eva Geitheim

LeBron James will celebrate his 41st birthday on Tuesday.
LeBron James will celebrate his 41st birthday on Tuesday. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
In this story:

LeBron James will celebrate his 41st birthday on Tuesday.

The Lakers superstar and oldest player in the NBA is coming off a 24-point performance in the team’s win over the Kings and continues to amaze as his 41st birthday approaches.

Lakers coach JJ Redick is among those in awe at James’s ability to play at a high-level at this age. Redick is also 41 years old, and retired from playing in the NBA four years ago.

“I’ve been calling him 41 since I turned 41 in June. Tomorrow’s a day, but he's 41 to me. It is remarkable. I have trouble getting out of bed in the morning and got to get an injection on my knee,” Redick told reporters on Monday. “My body is old and broken. It’s like that [maxim], If you don’t use it, you lose it. And once I stopped using it, I lost it all.”

"It's unbelievable. Him and my dad are the same age and my dad hasn't played in like 10 years,” Lakers guard Nick Smith Jr. said. “The stuff he does is incredible. Yeah, he's not normal."

The No. 1 pick in 2003, James has already played for over two decades and holds the record for the most seasons played by an NBA player. At nearly 41, he’s averaging 20.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game while helping the Lakers start 20-10.

"When I did the father time commercial thing, I'm in a battle with him, and I would like to say that I'm kicking his a— on the back nine,” James said Sunday.

Between becoming the NBA’s all-time scoring leader and playing alongside his son Bronny, James has done a pretty good job at pushing back against father time. He and the Lakers will try to celebrate his birthday on Tuesday by earning a win over the 24-8 Pistons, the No. 1 seed in the East.

More NBA on Sports Illustrated

SIGN UP NOW. SI NBA Newsletter. Get SI's FREE NBA Newsletter. dark

feed

Published
Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.

Home/NBA