LeBron, like Brady, gets better with age
At 36, Lakers star dominating league, achieving new heights
Tom Brady is doing things at 43 that no NFL player has done. Super Bowl champion, again. Super Bowl MVP, again. More touchdown passes at his age than every other quarterback who played at 43 or older have combined, and by a huge margin. LeBron James isn’t 43 yet, of course. But he has some gray in his beard, so he can relate with Brady on plenty of levels.
Brady reigns over the NFL again, just as the 36-year-old James — the fourth-oldest player to get minutes so far this season — reigns over the NBA right now. Both are probably as fit as they’ve ever been, despite both being well past the typical retirement age for their chosen profession, or at least well past the age where even the elite can remain elite. And both seem to take the same sadistic enjoyment out of angering their haters, somehow possessing the ability to turn the nasty tweets that get sent their way into some sort of rejuvenating vitamin. Not bad for old guys.
“IF YOU KNOW YOU KNOW!! GOAT TALK,” James tweeted Sunday night, seconds after the Buccaneers rolled past the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl and deliver Brady’s seventh championship.
Cases can be made for plenty of athletes to be dubbed the Greatest Of All Time, or GOAT, and Brady and James are obviously in the conversation for their sports.
Brady isn’t the unanimous NFL GOAT, largely because he isn’t exactly the most popular guy in some circles.
James isn’t one of those haters. “I’ve been watching him for 20 years now or how long he’s been in the NFL,” James said. “... So I’ve been watching him for a quite a while now and just to see him to go out and do the things that he’s done in his career ... it was pretty cool. It was very inspiring for a guy like myself.”
James isn’t the NBA’s unanimous GOAT either; he has his backers, Michael Jordan has his backers, and the polarizing argument will never be settled.
This much, however, cannot be debated. There have never been NFL players doing what Brady is at 43.
And there have never been NBA players doing what James is doing at 36.
Most NBA guys are done long before turning 36. There are only five players who have logged minutes this season at the age of 36 or better. Of those, four — Carmelo Anthony, JJ Redick, Andre Iguodala and Marc Gasol — have a total of 521 points. The other is James.
Since turning 36 on Dec. 30, he’s scored 548 points — more than the other four combined.
He’s coming off his first assist title, becoming the oldest first-time winner of that stat crown. He’s on pace for a 17th consecutive season averaging at least 25 points; no one else has posted more than 12 of those in a career. Throw in his rookie year, and James is about to become the first player in NBA history with 18 seasons averaging 20 or more points.
Including playoff games, James averaged 26.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 9.3 assists as a 35-year-old. Jordan averaged more points when he was 35, Steve Nash and John Stockton averaged more assists at that age and a dozen guys averaged more rebounds.
But nobody at that age came close to putting all those numbers up simultaneously. Nobody scored more points per game as an 18-year-old in NBA history than James — and now, he’s on pace to set the record for scoring as a 36-year-old as well.
James doesn’t only draw inspiration from doubters. He also draws from greatness.
When James watches sports, he tweets, and when he sees elite athletes doing elite things, he lets them know he’s watching. He often lauds Serena Williams, the winner of 23 Grand Slam tournaments and the oldest to ever win one in tennis’ Open era. He often lauds Tiger Woods, the winner of 15 majors. And he lauds Brady — who returned the favor in October, tweeting his congratulations when the Lakers won the NBA title.
The Lakers are title contenders again. James is among the frontrunners for the MVP award. He still might be the best player, somehow with no signs of slowing down. And Brady winning another Super Bowl almost certainly strengthened James’ belief that age is irrelevant.
James has become a wine connoisseur. Wine lovers know some things truly do get better with age. And if James needed more proof, another Super Bowl title for Brady probably sent that message loud and clear.
Anticipation is mounting on both sides of town with spring training just around the corner.
Chicago White Sox fans are eagerly awaiting the Tony La Russa reboot and what most believe will be a World Seriescaliber team on the South Side.
Chicago Cubs fans are optimistic the gates to Wrigley Field will soon reopen, and just being inside the iconic ballpark will trump the aggravation of watching the last hurrahs of popular stars from a dynasty that never happened.
With so much uncertainty surrounding the start of the 2021 season, no one really knows what to expect, other than lots of strikeouts, home runs and postponements.
But at least we know there will be baseball.
And that means it’s time again to offer some unsolicited advice to Sox general manager Rick Hahn and Cubs President Jed Hoyer.
1. Embrace the status.
For the first time in many years, the Sox are favored to win their division and be a realistic American League pennant contender. Hahn often talks about the rebuild like the Sox are always still a few steps away and any season has to be viewed within the context of building toward the ultimate goal of sustained success. There are no more building blocks. The ship is basically built. The Sox’s goal should be to get at least to the World Series, and anything less will be considered a disappointment. The rotation is solid, the bullpen is one of the best in the majors on paper and the lineup has pop everywhere except second base and right field. This is the team Sox fans have been waiting for. Don’t downplay the 2021 season with any talk about the future. It’s here.
The Cubs, meanwhile, are entering a transitional year in which they may or may not contend for a division title in the watered-down National League Central and certainly not for a pennant. Hoyer already alluded to that but has been careful to avoid using any term starting with “re,” like “rebuild,” “recalibrate” or “readjust.” Most Cubs fans foresee a regression, or perhaps even a rerun of the days when no one expected the team to contend but were happy to enjoy the sunshine, the scenery and a
beer or three at Wrigley. The Cubs are real underdogs for the first time since 2015, the first year of the Joe Maddon-Jon Lester era. Most of the previous 70 years, that was all Cubs fans knew. The organization needs to remind fans of how much they once loved being the underdog, back when winning was fun, not just expected.
2. Unleash the managers.
La Russa and David Ross have outsized personalities and five championship rings between them. They know what it takes to win, how to motivate players and how to deal with the media. Both, however, enter the 2021 season with a few obstacles in their way, some of their own making. La Russa is a Hall of Fame manager, but his hiring was controversial because of his age (76), his prolonged absence from the dugout, the revelation of a second DUI arrest last year and his close relationship with Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. Outside of his introductory news conference, the Sox have shielded La Russa from the media. His only other availability was with a select group of reporters in December, when he took responsibility for his arrest after the charges were reduced. La Russa is a big boy. There is no need to protect him from tough questioning, and Sox fans deserve to hear what he has to say.
Ross was the one of the most honest and available players as a Cub and a go-to guy for the local media before becoming an ESPN analyst. But in his first year as Cubs manager, he was sometimes reluctant to offer any theories as to why his team could not hit. “Hitting can turn on a dime,” Ross said during the last week of the season. “I’m really relying on the back of the baseball card for a lot of my optimism.” Optimism is fine. Analysis is better. Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians wasn’t afraid to criticize Tom Brady’s performance this past season. There’s no reason Ross can’t offer constructive criticism of his players.
3. Dispense some tough love to young stars.
It was refreshing to hear Hoyer confirm Monday that he spoke to Kris Bryant after Bryant’s recent admission on a podcast that the game was becoming less “fun” for him. At the end of last season, Bryant responded to fan criticism by saying, “I don’t give a (bleep)” — and repeating it in case anyone missed it. No one could recall hearing Bryant curse before. “For Kris Bryant to say, ‘I don’t give a (bleep),’ that’s a powerful statement,” Ross said. Bryant clearly does care about how he is perceived, and he lets the Twitter trolls and trade rumors get under his skin. That must stop. Someone has to tell him to stop reading MLBtraderumors.com, avoid Twitter and Instagram and just enjoy being Kris Bryant.
On the South Side, budding superstar Eloy Jimenez needs to understand the Sox need him in the lineup and not on the bench after another misadventure with the netting or the outfield fence. Sure, Luis Robert barged in to make a catch in left field on a few occasions, but that doesn’t mean Jimenez should overcompensate by trying to make risky plays. Jimenez doesn’t need to win a Gold Glove for the Sox to win. He just needs to hit — and stay healthy.
4. Stop by the press box once in a while. (We don’t bite.)
Modern executives create the illusion they’re accessible by appearing once in a while on a sports talk radio show or addressing the collective media every couple of weeks or so. More often they’re in “no comment” mode, and with Zoom interviews now the norm in the pandemicaltered sports world, avoiding the media is easier than ever.
Because we’re not allowed on the field due to COVID-19 protocols, the only place possible to talk to the media is a socially distanced visit to the press box. Just do it. Hahn and Hoyer are affable and well-liked by the Chicago media. It would benefit their organizations to be more accessible, as we’re asking questions so fans can get a better understanding of what they’re thinking.
The same advice goes for Reinsdorf and Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts, though I won’t expect any miracles in 2021.