LeBron James keeps stretching the limits of what an NBA career can look like, and he’s about to do it again. As he gets set for his record 24th season, James, 41, is now with the 76ers, where he’ll chase a championship alongside Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid.
Age has finally shown up in the form of sciatica over the past year, but even now James is still operating like a player who can tilt a game in multiple ways. When he’s healthy, he can handle whatever a team asks of him, and he continues to serve as both on-court producer and veteran guide for younger teammates.
He isn’t just the oldest active player in the league - he’s in rare air historically, too. James turned 41 last season, which ended up being his final year with the Lakers. His 23rd season began late because of sciatica, but he still pushed Los Angeles to the second round of the playoffs while Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves were dealing with injuries.
Now the rest of the league’s elder statesmen are stepping into the same spotlight, even if none of them are operating at James’ level. Al Horford stands as the second-oldest active player behind him and the only other one who has reached 40. Mike Conley is third on that list, though he won’t turn 40 until late next offseason.
The Warriors, had James landed there, would have leaned hard into the veteran lane. Golden State already carries four players older than 35: Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler and Horford.
Here’s the broader picture: every active NBA player who is already 35 or will be at least 35 during the 2026-27 season has a place in this aging class. James, for one, is currently the eighth-oldest player ever to appear in an NBA game. This season, he’ll move ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, whose final NBA appearance came at 42 years and 58 days.
The all-time standard still belongs to Nat Hickey, who is the oldest player ever to take the floor in an NBA game. Hickey played only two games in his career as coach of the Providence Steamrollers of the BAA, the league that preceded the NBA.
Two days before his 46th birthday, he was activated and checked into a game against the New York Knicks. The night before, he scored his only NBA points on free throws - two of them.
Kevin Willis is the most recent name near the top of that list, having played his final game in 2007 at age 44. James turns 42 on December 30, and if he exercises his $4.1 million player option with the Sixers next season, he would still be active past his 43rd birthday.
In Other News...
76ers Use Final Roster Spot On Massive New Frontcourt Project
The 76ers spent their offseason reshaping the top of the roster with the additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, but they also kept one eye on the margins, where frontcourt depth can matter just as much over a long season. Philadelphia has already taken a flier on Tacko Fall, Jameer Nelson Jr. and Saint Thomas on Exhibit 10 deals, a clear sign the team was willing to look beyond the obvious names while filling out the back end of the roster.
Fall is the one still worth watching closely. The big man later earned a two-way contract for the upcoming season, and the fit is easy to understand with Philadelphias need for help at center. For Fall, it is another chance to turn size into opportunity, and for the 76ers it is another low-risk attempt to uncover a useful piece in a part of the roster that can get thin fast. [Read more 🡒]
Tobias Harris Is Reviving His Value In A Way Sixers Fans Feel
Tobias Harris spent five seasons with the 76ers, enough time to become one of the more familiar faces of the Joel Embiid era, and his next stop has only sharpened the sense that his game still carries real value. After wrapping up that long Philadelphia run, Harris signed a two-year deal with Detroit and played a role in helping the Pistons win a playoff series, a reminder that his game can still translate in the moments that matter.
Now there is another twist in the path ahead, with Harris expected to land in San Antonio for the 2026-27 season. The Spurs see him as a valuable addition, which adds another layer to the way Sixers fans are likely to view his career arc - not as a finished product, but as a veteran still capable of moving the needle in the right situation, even as Philadelphias own offseason keeps churning through names like Dean Wade, LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. [Read more 🡒]
76ers Have A Real Early Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The 76ers closed the preseason at 1-3, and the record is only part of the concern heading into the 2026-27 NBA season. The bigger issue is how little time the expected starting group had together before the games start to count, which matters even more for a team trying to settle into rhythm around Joel Embiid while sorting out the rest of the rotation.
The early schedule does them no favors, with a string of tough matchups waiting right away, and the depth chart behind the starters already looks shaky. Several backup centers are dealing with injuries, so Philadelphia could open the year leaning on players who are either limited or still shaking off rust, a combination that can make the first few weeks look a lot tougher than the calendar should suggest. [Read more 🡒]