Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James now becomes the league’s oldest player after Golden State Warriors veteran Andre Iguodala announced his retirement from the NBA at the age of 39 on Friday.
James is 38 years old this year and will turn 39 on December 30 in the 2023-24 season.
Iguodala informed Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s Andscape of his decision to retire, noting that now is the “right time” to do so.
In 19 NBA seasons, Iguodala played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat and Warriors, averaging 11.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 4.0 assists in 1,231 regular season games. 1.4 steals.
Iguodala, who turns 40 in January, is a one-time All-Star, four-time NBA champion and the NBA Finals MVP in 2015 when he led the Warriors to defeat James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
While there will likely be a lot of debate over Iguodala’s Hall of Fame induction in the coming years, LeBron is a sure bet.
James is preparing to enter his 21st NBA season and his sixth with the Lakers after previously playing for the Cavaliers and Heat.
LeBron is a 19-time All-Star, four-time NBA champion, four-time NBA MVP and four-time NBA Finals MVP, and last season he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time scoring leader.
Perhaps most impressively, James is still playing at an elite level as he approaches 40 years old and remains one of the best players in the league.
Last season, James averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, leading the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals.
LeBron, Anthony Davis and the rest of the Lakers’ core will challenge again in the 2023-24 season in hopes of defeating the defending champion Denver Nuggets and reaching the NBA Finals.