Carmelo Anthony played in the NBA for 19 seasons. Not only does he know about the sport a lot, but he also has seen the growth and development of the players firsthand. Being a 10x All-Star himself, Anthony knows what it takes to be great in the league, and he spoke about that in the first episode of his ‘7 PM in Brooklyn’ podcast with the comedian, Kid Mero. He acknowledged the fact that, even at the age of 38, LeBron James is still a dominant force in the NBA. Not only James, but he mentioned the players who are still a strong force in the league and defy the age barriers like Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry.
But the Melo Man’s point was that in the olden times, age used to catch up with the athletes. He even gave examples of legendary players like Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan, etc., and mentioned himself while speaking about what is the difference between them and the players today.
What does the LeBron James do differently?
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The speakers spoke about how LeBron James, at the age of 38, was taking over the NBA. Not only James but many players in the league are comparatively old but do not show signs of decline like KD, Steph, and CP3. They are all past 35 and still dominating, however, it ain’t used to be like that. Because earlier, when you were 30+ and went to another team to play, “it was over” according to Melo.
They both started giving examples of players like, “Hakim in the Raptors jersey, T-Mac in the Spurs jersey, etc.” Further Anthony said, “Shaq in the Cleveland jersey, and the Celtics jersey.” He even called out himself and said, “Me in a Houston jersey. Honestly, like I gotta give myself that like ‘Yo Mell, you were nasty in there'”. Anthony said that he was a fan of the sport and did not want to see certain people in certain jerseys like he didn’t want to see “MJ with the Wizards.” But then Kid Mero asked him about what it is now that is giving the players like LeBron, Curry, etc the ability to play for so long. Mero even said that he thinks the 4x NBA champion can play until he is 43, or even 44.
To which Anthony answered saying, “The difference between Bron and everybody else is the fact that he’s disciplined. Everybody can say ‘I want to do that’ and he got the blueprint. But are they disciplined enough to follow that blueprint? And with him, he’s been doing it for so long, right? So for somebody to say ‘I’m gonna follow that blueprint.’ How long are you willing to follow that blueprint? Five years? Two years? You got it in you to follow this sh-t for two decades? Nah.”
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How has the 19x All-Star been performing in his 21st season?
LeBron James, at the age of 38, put on an astounding performance in his historic 21st NBA season. He became the first player in the twenty-first century to record a triple-double. James demonstrated his excellence and flexibility on the floor with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. This accomplishment also made him the second-oldest player in NBA history to register a triple-double, trailing only Karl Malone.
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Throughout this season, the 4x NBA champion has averaged 24.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. This not only shows his skills but also his long-term effect on the sport of basketball. Recently he surpassed Jason Kidd for the 5th position on the all-time NBA triple-double chart. Defying the age barrier and cementing his reputation as one of the NBA’s best players, LeBron James continues to be one of the most dominant forces in the NBA today.
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