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LeBron James Makes NBA History During Lakers-Grizzlies

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dave Ettinger | Last updated Jan 3, 2026 9:30 AM ET

Every time LeBron James steps foot on a basketball court, he creates history. As the oldest current NBA player, James continues to add to his already illustrious playing career on a nightly basis. James, who is now officially 41 years old, after celebrating his birthday on Dec. 30, created a new page in the record books again on Friday night.

James and the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Memphis Grizzlies, looking to get back in the win-column after losing four of their previous five games. They did just that, taking down the Grizzlies 128-121. The Lakers were led to victory by the efforts of none other than their two best players. The dynamic duo of James and Luka Doncic.

Both players would finish Friday's contest with 30-point performances, however, they didn't stop there. Both players stuffed the stat-sheet, contributing to this victory in every way imaginable.

Doncic finished with 34 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and two steals while James finished with 31 points to go along with his nine rebounds and six assists.

In the process, James made a unique form of NBA history. According to @realapp on X, on Friday, James became the first player in NBA history to score at least 30 points after turning 41 years old.

LeBron James is the first player in NBA history to have a 30-PT game after turning 41 years old. pic.twitter.com/xvVnYSuFT9
— Real App (@realapp) January 3, 2026

While James is currently the oldest active player in the NBA, he hasn't yet become the oldest player in NBA history. A handful of notable players have played beyond age 41, as one even played until 45.

Most notably, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Robert Parish, Vince Carter, Dikembe Mutombo, and Kevin Willis played until anywhere from 42 to 44 years old. The oldest player to ever appear in an NBA game however, was Nat Hickey, who was 45 years and 363 days old when he played in his final game on Jan. 28, 1948.

The world continues to speculate how much longer James will keep playing in the NBA. Some have suggested he wants to play in a game alongside his younger son, Bryce James, who is currently a freshman at the University of Arizona. While it would be another incredible chapter in James' historic career, the younger James has rarely seen game action at Arizona, and it would be quite a leap for him to find himself in the NBA come next season.

Nothing is out of the realm of possibilities, as the basketball world didn't feel there was a path to the association for Bronny James prior to this season either.

While the world will continue to speculate, the elder James will continue to rewrite the history books. Despite a slow start to the season, missing the first 14 games of the year due to a bout with sciatica, James has surely found his footing as of late. He's now averaging 20.9 points per game in 16 games played this season.

He's missed 16 games this season, however, he'll remain eligible for all available NBA awards this season, if he misses no more than one more game this season. The Lakers are now 21-11 on the season, and will look to win back-to-back games for the first time in over two weeks when they take the floor for their next game.

They'll face the grizzlies yet again on Sunday, as James will look to make NBA history in consecutive games. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. EDT, inside crypto.com Arena.

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

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