LeBron at age 30 has already played more career minutes than Bird and Magic

By foxsports
Published

LeBron James is just 30 years old. But through 12 NBA seasons, he's already logged more total minutes of playing time than some of the game's all-time greats. 

 

The folks at HoopsHype did the research, and it turns out that James has already surpassed guys like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and even Steve Nash, who played until he was 40. If he stays on track, he's likely to pass guys like Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing on the list next season and could even reach No. 1 all-time in minutes played before his career is finished.

 

The reason, of course, is that LeBron is just that good. He's consistently been a part of teams that play deep into the postseason and has made it to the Finals in each of the last five years (Four with Miami, last season wiuth Cleveland). His Cavaliers will be favored to return to the Finals next season, as well.

 

This is a big reason why it's far from certain that James will choose to play in the 2016 Rio Olympics, despite USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo saying repeatedly that a spot on the roster is his if he wants it. 

 

If LeBron decides he values trying to win more NBA titles than he does earning a third gold medal, it would be fairly easy to see him choosing to stay home next summer.

 

(h/t: HoopsHype)