Check out what NBA Hall of Famer had to say about LeBron James' career
At 41, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is still one of the NBA's top players.
He has the Lakers playing against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. Even though they are trailing 2-0 in the best-of-series, James is still playing at a high level.
He is averaging 23.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and eight assists in 38.4 minutes. The performance led to Miami Heat legend Tim Hardaway commenting on James' longevity.
He spoke about it during an interview with Hard Rock Bet.
"What he has done is phenomenal," Hardaway said. "He just keeps defying people. He keeps defying father time. And a big part of it is that he’s healthy. At that age, guys just aren’t jumping like that anymore. They don’t have that kind of athleticism anymore. But he still does."
Most fans debate about if James or Michael Jordan is the greatest player in history. While Jordan holds a 6-4 advantage in titles, James has the edge in almost every career statistical category. He's surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time scoring list, which is one of the most coveted honors in league history.
"So for me, I just say enjoy it," Hardaway said. "Let him decide each day what he wants to do based on how his body feels. But I do know this – he’s not going to just quit. He’s going to let people know when it’s his last year, and when he does, he deserves that farewell tour in every city."
James did more than leave his stamp on Heat history when he joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the summer of 2010. With James in charge, the team won two championships in four straight Finals appearances. While Wade is regarded as the best player in franchise history, James won two MVPs while in Miami.
As he is nearing a close to a 23rd season, Hardaway says he doesn't want to see James go out as a shell of himself. He'd rather see him leave on top.
"We don’t want to see him go out hurt," Hardaway said. "We want him to go out the right way, when he’s still himself. That’s what a player like that deserves."
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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of HeatRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com