Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James turns 37 years old today. Remarkably, LeBron, in his 19th NBA season, is still playing All-NBA caliber basketball — though the Lakers are not taking advantage.

After dropping 37 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists in the Lakers loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, James was asked if he's modeled his graceful aging after any hoop greats that came before him and enjoyed similarly lengthy careers.

“Absolutely not. I've always respected the generation that came before me. And I've always saluted the guys that set the stones for us to be here today. But I've never studied anybody's game throughout their career on what I can implement to myself. I’ve always had my own path and my own determination, my own grind. I literally put in the work every day — either from a physical or mental or spiritual part. The game is always running through my veins and I’m thinking about ways I can continue to improve my game throughout the later stages of my career.”

Let's put the Lakers commentary aside for now — you can go here for all of that. Instead, let's take a moment to celebrate LeBron's historically unprecedented longevity and excellence. Here are 37 wild factoids about LeBron, from the past, present, and future.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5c6tXfQrG0wOUKZ4v7F8Bc?si=d0ee3426f0504661

Past

1. LeBron has spent over half of his life as one of the most famous professional basketball players on Earth.

2. He's the youngest player to reach basically every round scoring milestone.

3. He's the first player to rank in the NBA's top-100 in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.

4. He's 8th all-time in assists — his greatest skill.

5. He has the most All-NBA selections, ever (17).

6. LeBron will retire in the top-10 in 3-pointers made, too.

7. He's one of the most clutch players in history (remember the Donyell Marshall Discourse?)

8. LeBron is the all-time leader in playoff points (7,631) — over 3,000 ahead of No. 2 among active players (Kevin Durant – 4,454)

9. He's the all-time leader in playoff minutes (by far)

10. He's no. 1 tied in postseason games played

11. Yet he's never missed a playoff game.

12. He led this roster to the NBA Finals at 22 years old.

13. Last time I checked, he's the only player in NBA history to win Finals MVP after his team was down 3-1 in the Finals to a 73-win squad.

14. Beginning with a 17-point outing in a January 2007 contest vs. the Nets, LeBron has scored at least 10 points in every game he's played.

15. This:

Present

16. As mentioned, LeBron is having another MVP-level season in 2021-22.

17. He leads the NBA in 30-point games, despite missing 12 contests.

18. He's 2nd in the league in minutes per game (not ideal for the Lakers, btw).

19. He's averaging his most PPG (28.0) since his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

20. In fact, LeBron is averaging the most points for a 19-year veteran, by far.

21. He's the only player over the age of 35 to have five straight 30+ point games.

22. His stats in 14 games this December: 29.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.2 blocks, 54.2% FG, 38.2 minutes.

23. He just played a full game at center for the first time in his career, and…

24. He's somewhat reinventing himself as a part-time center on the fly (and it's working).

25. He's shooting 62.4% on 2s this season – a career-best.

26. He still can do this:

27. And this:

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Rui Hachimura looking serious. Shannon Sharpe smiling with packed crowd in the background

Fabian Diego Miguel de la Paz ·

LeBron James with hands on hips, and a speech bubble that says "It makes no sense." Next to him is Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic shooting a 3-pointer and Lakers coach Darvin Ham's face centered.

Matt Guzman ·

jokic nuggets lebron lakers

Michael Corvo ·

28. And this:

29. And this:

30. And all of those clips are just in the last two weeks.

Future

31. He's still refining his bag — i.e. turnaround fadeaways, one-footed leaning bankers, longer threes, etc. What more can he add before he's done?

32. Mogul LeBron's business portfolio continues to boom at exponential rates: He has a lifetime Nike deal, lucrative equity in Beats/Apple, ownership stakes in Liverpool FC, the Boston Red Sox, and the Pittsburgh Penguins, and his media company SpringHill is a rising force in Hollywood that may net 3/4 of a billion in a sale. LeBron, himself, has crossed billionaire status.

33. He's directly enabling hundreds of kids to receive an education with his I Promise School.

34. He sleeps over 12 hours per night, which has to bode well for his long-term health.

35. He has a real chance to overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time scoring king.

36. Most importantly — he may become the first NBA player to ever play on the same team as his son.

LeBron James has nothing left to prove, though only one major question remains, and it's our 37th wild fact: LeBron has averaged 27.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists for his career. When will he record his first 27/7/7 box score since…the McDonald's All-American Game?