LeBron James has had the longest NBA career after Vince Carter. And the King will level up with Carter by next season. However, he is far more proficient in his 21st season than the great Carter was. So it’s most likely that Bron will surpass the 8x All-Star by a decent margin in total seasons in the league. But could this tenure go even beyond if James changes and adapts to a new role in the team?

After being voted as the best player in Team USA’s training camp at 39, Kevin Garnett believes the LA Lakers star could play for another decade if he could be as efficient at defense as he was in the recent matchup against Team Canada. “Lord! Bron could play 10 more years in a Draymond role…” Garnett wrote on X. And most of the comment section seemed to agree with this chain of thought. “… If he took a lesser role & didn’t have to average 25+, he could easily play 10 more years. EASY,” commented one user.

Notably, the 4x NBA champ scored 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists for Team USA, securing an 86-72 win against Canada in an exhibition contest ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. One highlight moment from the King’s play included him pinning a shot in the lane, showing his defensive capability.

Now, some may argue that Draymond Green is a generational defensive talent. And reducing his role to what LeBron can adapt to survive in the league may not seem fair. But the fact of the matter is James is considered as someone who can play all the positions, and although the skills may no longer be as sharp but Bron used to dominate on both ends in his prime.

Further analyzing Garnett’s claim of longevity for LeBron James

There is no denying that Green is one of the best defensive players of this era. In fact, it’s possible that the Warriors may not have won their 4x NBA championships without Green on the roster. However, this does not mean that the King has no defensive spark. In fact, a stat that went viral in the last season portrayed him at the top in the category.

As per a statistic by StatMamba, the 20x All Star limited every player he guarded to a 40.7% shooting. StatMamba further reported this to be the lowest mark among all the players who defended at least 250 field goal attempts. However, multiple netizens countered this statistic, with one stating this is because the team often hides Bron by deploying him on the opposing team’s worst offensive player. Notably, LeBron James has not made it to the All Defensive team since 2014.

But this does not mean there is no spark left in that department. Especially considering his recent play against Team Canada. “LeBron out there being a defensive demon and the ultimate connector because he doesn’t have to have 35 percent usage,” The Athletic’s Tony Jones posted on X. Meanwhile, Bron is already leading over Green in most other aspects, including game making ability.

The 20x All Star has averaged 7.4 assists in his career, and 8.3 last season. Both figures are higher than Green’s lifetime average of 5.6 and last season’s average of 6.0. And he is still averaging higher rebounds and 25+ points doing this. So if the burden of scoring is lightened, Bron could most likely still thrive with other aspects of his gameplay.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.