It's wild to think that LeBron James is 41. For many, they still view him as that high school superstar from Akron, Ohio, who became an icon for his generation. On Tuesday, the Lakers legend celebrated his birthday by providing counsel he would give to his 18-year-old, per Spectrum SN. 

“Just go out, just have fun, and enjoy the ride. Because you never know when it comes to an end. It goes fast.”

James is in the midst of his 23rd NBA season, and at 41, he is still going strong. Presently, James is averaging 20.3 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, the Lakers are 20-11 and are ranked 5th in the Western Conference.

On Tuesday, they lost 128-106 to the Detroit Pistons. James scored 17 points and had four assists and four rebounds. However, he was 3-for-10 from the three-point line. 

At 18 years old, James was the next high school phenom to transition into the NBA, following in the path of players such as Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. During that time, he was saturated with the unbelievable expectation of becoming the most outstanding player since life began, even before he set foot on an NBA floor. 

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Indeed, he has exceeded those expectations and then some. It also helps to be born on Dec. 30 alongside other great athletes. 

LeBron James shares a birthday with Sandy Koufax and Tiger Woods.

It turns out that James was born on the same day as two fellow superstar athletes. On Tuesday, former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax celebrated his 90th birthday. 

In the early to mid-1960s, he was the best left-handed pitcher in baseball for five years. Also, Woods celebrated his 50th birthday on Tuesday.

In the 1990s, he popularized golf and opened it up to a broader audience.