“Washed Up King”: LeBron James Engages in Playful Banter With Tom Brady

LeBron James is representing every major athlete in the twilight of their career at this point. The old story of father time ending players’ careers in their mid-to-late 30s has been seen in sports time and time again. Every icon eventually fades and has to leave the court forever. But there are a few that carry their greatness late into their career. LeBron James is one of them, winning an NBA Championship and Finals MVP at the age of 35.

Another man that has dominated his sport despite his age is Tom Brady in the NFL. Brady is in his 20th season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, Brady has won two of the last four Super Bowls. The man is 43 years old today.

LeBron’s success was the perfect way for two old-generation athletes to revel in proving their doubters wrong despite their age. Brady sent congratulations to LeBron, and the newly crowned Finals MVP responded.

Both men clearly love referring to their age. People have been bringing up both their ages as a factor for their decreasing productivity, but both men have continued succeeding at the highest level.

LeBron James: The ‘Washed’ King

LeBron has made calling himself the washed king a regular fixture of his social media this season. It was an obvious attack on the many media members that have been counting him out because he is getting ‘too old’ to keep playing the way he has. On top of that, LeBron debuted at 18 and has played very high-level basketball for all 17 seasons of his career.

The fact that people like Brady and LeBron can keep their bodies in shape to continue the rigors of their profession this deep into their career is absolutely stunning. This Twitter exchange between two sporting icons was nice to witness, as greatness acknowledged greatness.