LeBron James has been in the NBA for longer than he hasn't.
Ten days before reaching his 37th birthday, basketball legend LeBron James arrived at a milestone that took him by complete surprise. In a December 20, 2021 tweet, journalist Brady Klopfer informed the point forward that he’d been in the NBA for 6,752 days (almost 18.5 years) — exactly as long as he’d been alive prior to joining the league. James has played for the Los Angeles Lakers since 2018, and his current contract at the time of writing is slated to take him through the 2022–2023 season, his 20th. Yet don’t expect him to retire at the two-decade mark: His oldest son, LeBron “Bronny” James Jr., is scheduled to become eligible for the NBA draft in 2024, and the elder James wants the duo to be NBA teammates for his final season.
An Ohio native, James spent the first seven years of his professional basketball career, starting in 2003, with his local Cleveland Cavaliers. Almost 10 million people watched “The Decision,” a 2010 TV special where the 6-foot-8.5-inch superstar announced he would sign with the Miami Heat in order to pursue an NBA championship. To date, he has played in 10 NBA Finals. After winning two titles in Florida, James returned to the Cavaliers to claim another — and sign a Nike contract reputedly worth at least $1 billion — then took home a fourth with the Lakers in 2020. He has been named the league’s most valuable player four times, and he possesses three Olympic medals: two golds and a bronze. In February 2022, he also became the NBA’s highest scorer ever (when considering regular season and postseason points).
Three of the earliest picks in the 2003 NBA draft — LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade — formed a lasting friendship. Among other achievements, they helped Team USA clinch Olympic basketball medals in 2004 and 2008. The group even takes joint vacations. While filming a March 2020 Instagram Live segment with Wade, Anthony discussed a harrowing experience he had when the trio visited the Bahamas with their families. At one point, most of the party donned snorkeling gear and jumped off a boat to explore a grotto. Afterward, the snorkelers found their way back to the boat, except Anthony, who was entranced by a battery of barracudas. It was a windy day, and suddenly the strengthening current started pulling him toward the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. In Anthony’s words, that’s when James “jump[ed] off the boat like he’s MacGyver,” located his pal, and held him with one arm while swimming back to the boat. James later commented on the incident at a press conference. “Through the grace of God and through strength and through not being afraid of the water, [I] was able to help,” he said. “The only thing that was on my mind at that point in time was getting my brother back to the boat.” In August 2021, Anthony signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he currently plays alongside the man who “saved my life.”
