Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the first half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the first half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Watch: Shaquille O’Neal Picks LeBron James Over Current NBA Stars

Originally posted on Lakers Nation | By Matthew Valento | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 3:04 PM ET

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is a one-of-a-kind talent, remaining one of the best players in the league as he gets set to enter his 23rd NBA season. There will never be another talent like James due to his durability and ability to adapt his game over the years.

Once players enter their mid to late 30s, the drop-off in production is significant. But, that has not been the case for the all-time leading scorer as James has maintained around a 25-point per game or more average for the majority of his prime.

Even at 40-years-old, he made All-NBA Second Team and finished sixth in MVP voting. An anticipated fall off feels like it is never coming at this rate and Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal is still taking James over a majority of today’s stars, via Overtime:

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The breaking point for O’Neal was reigning MVP for the Oklahoma City Thunder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and for good reason as he is coming off a dominant season leading a historically good regular season team to its first championship.

Perhaps most surprising was Shaq putting LeBron over consensus top five players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic. A lot of people may not agree with that but the fact that it is even a conversation is a testament to James’ greatness.

At worst, the 21-time All-Star is a top-15 talent and one can envision his production becomes more valuable with an on-ball talent in Doncic alongside him. Having that ability to pick and choose his spots is a luxury James has not often had through his career.

In totality, these latter years of James’ have been remarkable and he remains hungry to win his fifth title. Whether that is in L.A. remains to be seen, but his Slovenian co-star looks hungry to win right now and hopefully, those two can make it happen this season.

Stephen Curry credits LeBron James for improvements on golf course

Since LeBron James and the Lakers’ offseason started early this summer, it allowed more time for him to rest and even pick up a new hobby. LeBron has posted videos playing golf almost every day this offseason, perhaps preparing for his post-playing career.

Another avid golfer is Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and he is taking notice of what James is doing. While LeBron’s swing was not pretty at first, Curry recently commended him for making strides in a short amount of time.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Lakers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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