LeBron James Leads League in Unbelievable Stat at 41

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dave Ettinger | Last updated Jan 17, 2026 1:40 AM ET

At this point of his career, just about everything LeBron James does is historical. Every time he steps on a basketball court for an NBA game, he breaks his own record as the most tenured player in NBA history.

Now 22 games into season No. 23, James, despite missing the first 14 games of the regular-season due to injury, has played incredibly well this year. At 41 years of age, James and his Lakers hold a record of 24-15, good for the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference.

And James is putting up numbers on a nightly basis that practically match his impressive career averages. He's currently averaging 22.7 points, 6.9 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game while playing 33.2 minutes per game.

LeBron James, 41, Leads League in Impressive Stat

And as if those numbers weren't impressive enough, for a 41 year old, James is actually leading the entire league in a statistic that is often reserved for young, speedy NBA talent.

As per @statdefender on X, James is leading the league in fastbreak points per game (6.0).

LeBron James leads the entire NBA in fastbreak points per game at 41 years old, per @statdefender

Legendary pic.twitter.com/S78ePpeVhI
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 17, 2026

Throughout his historic career, James has always looked for an opportunity to get out and run, pushing a fast break, leading his team to easy buckets. And while the world has expected the "old" man to have lost a step in NBA season No. 23, this statistic appears to prove otherwise.

To highlight just how impressive this statistic is, continuing down the list of league leaders in fast break points per game is all one needs to do. No. 2 on the list, is Philadelphia 76ers point guard, Tyrese Maxey. Maxey is one of the fastest, most talented scorers in the entire league, and when he's seen moving at top-speed on a fast break, he's practically a blur. Yet, James' 6.0 fast break points per game bests Maxey's 5.6.

The top-5 is rounded out by Giannis Antetokounmpo (5.3), Kawhi Leonard (5.2), and Donovan Mitchell (4.5).

The world still doesn't have an official timeline for when James will call it quits on basketball, but at the pace he's going, it doesn't appear his retirement is coming in the near future. As with virtually everything James has done in his career, he'll likely control the narrative, and the timeline, of when he decides to retire.

For now, he and the Lakers will suit up for their next game, on Saturday, against the Portland Trail Blazers. James will have to brave this one without Luka Doncic. Doncic has already been ruled out for this contest due to groin soreness. While James leads the league in fast break points per game, Doncic leads the league in points per game (33.6).

The league has yet to see the Lakers fully healthy for any length of time so far this season. And with James carefully managing his games played, and Doncic and Austin Reaves finding themselves battling injury through the first-half of the season, there's no telling what a Lakers squad at full strength could accomplish.

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

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