Chris Paul, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony
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September is a great time for any NBA fan, as your favorite teams and players get back and ready for a new season. Some of these players have been in the league for quite some time, and we enjoyed watching them. But as all good things come to an end, so does a Hall of Fame career. When you take a closer look, you’ll see that many of these players are closer to retirement than they seem.
Appreciate greatness!
Starting from the still biggest name in the league, LeBron James. He’s going into his 20th season, and even though he’s still playing at an All-Star level, the King isn’t getting any younger. All the unprecedented greatness aside, we could be seeing one of James’ last seasons playing at the level we all grew accustomed to.
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Carmelo Anthony, LeBron’s friend and teammate, is 38. Chris Paul, another member of the Banana Boat team is 37, and so is Dwight Howard. Other superstars who are getting there in age include Stephen Curry (34), Kevin Durant (33), James Harden (33), Russell Westbrook (33), Jimmy Butler (32), and Damian Lillard (32).
There are also plenty of lower-tier players who’ve been around for years but are in their mid-thirties, nearing retirement. Generally speaking, that means that their championship window is winding up, and their level of play is starting to decline.
All of this points to one thing: we are getting to the end of an era, and the best thing we as NBA fans can do is enjoy these Hall of Famers’ play and appreciate these moments before it is too late.
We’ve experienced a lot of emotion from these players, and this season won’t be any different. But let’s keep in mind this might be the final run for some of the aforementioned guys. We can still favor one over the others. But as we’re nearing the end of one of the best NBA eras ever, it’s time to show gratitude.
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