LeBron James, in the Greatest NBA Career Ever, Isn’t Done Yet

At 41 years old and in his 23rd season, the superstar is still defining greatness while carrying the Lakers through the postseason.

Lakers forward LeBron James dunks against the Rockets in Game 2 of their first-round NBA playoffs series. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

LOS ANGELES — You want to argue against LeBron James as the GOAT?

Fine. Reasonable people can disagree. 

You want to debate which player has the greatest career? 

Kick rocks. That debate is long since settled. 

James scored 28 points in the Lakers’ 101–94 Game 2 win on Tuesday. Sorry, that sentence needs more context. James, at 41 years old, in his 23rd season, playing 39 minutes, scored 28 points. He was 8 of 20 from the floor. He was 10 of 14 from the free throw line. He collected eight rebounds and handed out seven assists. He was part of a defensive effort that limited Kevin Durant to 23 points—including just three in the second half. 

“We executed the game plan,” said James, “offensively and defensively.”

What a start to this series for James. He scored 19 points in Game 1, adding 13 assists. In Game 2, he was more assertive. He attacked the rim, scored off post-ups and made 40% of his threes. With a minute to go and the Lakers up five, James burst past Tari Eason, collected a bounce pass from Marcus Smart and slammed home a dunk that officially put the game out of reach. 

It’s remarkable, more so when you consider who he is doing it against. James is nearly twice the age of Houston’s best defender, Amen Thompson. In his first NBA game, in 2003, he lined up against Jabari Smith Jr.’s dad. Houston has been physical with James, sending waves of defenders to wear him down. More often, they are the ones looking gassed at the finish.

Durant missed the series opener with a knee injury. He was back out on the floor in Game 2, renewing a long-standing rivalry. James and Durant first competed in the postseason in 2012, when James’s Miami Heat defeated Durant’s upstart Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant got his revenge five years later, with Golden State, beating James’s Cavaliers in back-to-back NBA Finals. 

James relishes these moments. He calls it “an honor” to play against Durant, a 37-year-old star winning his own battle with Father Time. “I don’t take that for granted,” James said. Indeed, these matchups seem to light a fire under James. In the second quarter, James barked at Alperen Şengün after knocking down a three in front of him. In the third, he blew past Durant and threw down a reverse dunk. 

“I don’t even know what that was about,” said James, laughing. “I got to go sit down somewhere.” 

LEBRON DRIVES AND THROWS DOWN A REVERSE WINDMILL SLAM 💥

LAKERS LEAD IN Q3 IN GAME 2! pic.twitter.com/nsEBV5AozP

— NBA (@NBA) April 22, 2026

Down Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, James needs help. Luke Kennard was the co-star of Game 1, scoring 27 points. In Game 2, Kennard chipped in 23. Smart was the breakout star in this one. Smart scored 25 points. He was 8 of 13 from the floor, including 5 of 7 from three-point range. In the second half, he hounded Durant. 

Said coach JJ Redick, “Smart had a killer game tonight.”

James has had some memorable battles with Smart, an ex-Celtics guard who often lined up against him in the playoffs. It’s earned Smart a healthy amount of respect. Smart, James said, “is battle-tested … he’s not afraid of the moment.” There’s a level of communication that can only exist between two players steeped in playoff experience. “I can look at him and he knows what the hell I’m talking about,” James said. “He can relate to me.”

Watch James play and you wonder—what is still fueling him? He’s won four championships, made 22 All-Star teams and earned four MVPs. He owns most of the NBA’s all-time records. On Tuesday, he added another, passing (who else) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the highest-scoring playoff game for a player 41 or older. 

It’s simple, James said. It’s the playoffs. It’s this. 

“I don’t know how many more opportunities I got to play in the postseason in my career,” James said. “But s---, I live for this moment. I live for the postseason. I’ve been doing this since I was 21. I think my first postseason game was 21, so 20 years. I know I’ve missed it a couple of times, but from that moment at 21, that first game, I made my mark and for 20 years I’ve been thinking about the postseason.”

This one just got interesting. The regular-season-ending injuries to Dončić and Reaves was supposed to be a death blow to the Lakers’ playoff chances. But L.A. has a commanding 2–0 series lead. Reaves has begun his return-to-play protocols, Redick told reporters on Tuesday, while Dončić is not far behind. A first-round return may still be unlikely. But if the Lakers can advance to the second round … look out. 

Who knows what can happen. Late in the fourth quarter, the Crypto.com Arena showered James with an MVP chant. He won’t win the award this season. He won’t win another one again. But there is still more for James to accomplish. The greatest career in NBA history isn’t finished yet. 

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