LeBron James Breaks 23-Year-Old Michael Jordan NBA Record

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated May 22, 2025 12:09 PM ET

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is 40 years old. He's the oldest active player in the NBA, but you wouldn't know that from watching him play.

James appeared in 70 games for the Lakers this season. The four-time MVP and four-time Finals MVP averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.6 blocks.

In the 2025 playoffs, James put up 25.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.8 blocks per game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite getting those numbers from James, though, the Lakers lost to the Timberwolves in five games.

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the 2024-25 NBA MVP on Wednesday. James, who last won MVP in 2013 with the Miami Heat, finished sixth in MVP voting this year.

According to HoopsHype , James is the oldest player in NBA history to get an MVP vote, beating Michael Jordan's 23-year-old record. At 40 years old, James is 13 months older than Jordan was when MJ finished 13th in MVP voting while playing for the Washington Wizards in 2001-02.

James and Jordan are widely considered the top two players in NBA history. They have combined to win 10 championships, 10 Finals MVPs and nine regular-season MVPs.

Jordan is first in NBA history in points per game in the regular season and postseason. He also holds the record for most points scored (63) in a playoff game. The Hall of Famer averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 1,072 games with the Chicago Bulls and Wizards.

James, who grew up idolizing Jordan, is first in NBA history in points. He's the only player to rank top five all-time in points and assists. The future Hall of Famer has career averages of 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Heat and Lakers.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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