LeBron vs. Father Time: How James has changed, by the numbers - ESPN

LeBron James is like no other player in NBA history. The career scoring leader set yet another record when he became the first man to play 23 seasons in the league.

The 2025-26 version of James is also like no other previous version of himself. Sciatica forced him to miss opening night for the first time in his career. After sitting out the Los Angeles Lakers' first 14 games, he has shown more inconsistency and a different play style than ever before.

With his 41st birthday just 12 days away, he looks mortal. And he's taking a clearer backseat to teammates Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for the 18-7 Lakers.

Let's examine how James looks different this season compared to the past two decades — and what that means for the Lakers, who need an elite version of the future Hall of Famer if they want to contend in a top-heavy Western Conference.

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A surprising decline in scoring
A different playing style
His rest-of-season prognosis
James-Doncic-Reaves trio hasn't worked

For just about any other player in NBA history, simply playing into his 40s would be a remarkable accomplishment. Scoring 17.6 points per game would be unprecedented. The previous scoring leader at this age was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who averaged 10.1 points in his age-41 season, at the end of a long, gradual aging curve. His last season with at least 24 points per game came when he was 33.

James, in contrast, averaged at least 25 points for 20 consecutive years after his rookie campaign, dipping only slightly to 24.4 last season.

Year-by-year points per game from scoring leaders

That longevity and consistency helped James pass Abdul-Jabbar on the career leaderboard. The Hall of Fame center scored more points during each player's peak age range,