After LeBron James dealt with a nagging groin injury and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2005 last season, many were quick to call him washed up and speculated that he was on the back end of his career.
LeBron, now in his 17th season, clearly didn’t get that memo. He has averaged 24.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 11.1 assists through the first 12 games of the season. At age 34, the king is just as dominant as he was at 18 and according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, he doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.
With Carmelo Anthony coming back to the NBA, LeBron James was asked if he's thought how the end of his career will look: "Not really. Not the way I feel right now. Me and Tom Brady are one in the same. We’re going to play until we can’t walk no more."
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 15, 2019
Despite the obvious differences in their respective sports, LeBron and Tom Brady are similar in some ways. Both have been at the top of their games for the majority of their careers and have won several championships. Brady is in his 20th NFL season at 42 years of age and like James, has not given any indication that he is ready to slow down. Patriots trainer Alex Guerrero even told reporters recently that Brady has told him he wants to go until he’s 46 or 47.
Brady responded to James’ comparison via Twitter.
I’m playing until I can’t dunk anymore! @KingJames https://t.co/K03xVJvMgZ
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) November 16, 2019
Both of these athletes already have solid arguments to be considered the greatest of all time in their sports, so who knows what they each could accomplish if they keep playing into the foreseeable future.
LeBron is already on track to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, and we already know one of his dreams is to play with his son Bronny, who would be eligible for the draft in five years, when James would be 39 years old.
What we do know is that for almost two decades, we have had the privilege to see arguably two of the most generational talents in professional sports.
