LeBron James: Father Time’s Biggest Enemy

How long can LeBron James keep swimming the sharks?

Apr 05, 2025

LeBron James: Father Time’s Biggest Enemy

LeBron James’ career has been a spectacle as he’s been in the NBA for over two decades while sustaining a high level of consistency throughout his tenure. The longevity of LeBron’s playing time is impressive considering he’s been a top 35 option for both points and category leagues over the last twenty-one seasons. James is an all time great when it comes to points leagues as he’s been the highest per game fantasy point scorer for eight seasons.

The evolution of LeBron’s game is astounding, given he’s been on multiple unique rosters. James’ first tenure with the Cavaliers produced some of his best fantasy seasons as he primarily operated as a downhill scoring threat (top 4 in points leagues for six seasons and top 6 in cat leagues for five seasons). Upon his arrival in Miami, LeBron started mastering his three point shot as he had back to back seasons of 56%+ from the field and 37%+ from three. Despite having less overall volume than he had in Cleveland due to the formation of the Big 3 with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, James’ improved efficiency led to him finishing no lower than top 5 for any of his years in Miami.

LeBron’s return to the Cavs resulted in the creation of a new Big 3 with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. James still commanded a large role as he and Kyrie both controlled a majority of the on-ball possessions for Cleveland. Upon Irving’s trade to Boston, LeBron absorbed the wolf share of possessions for the 2017-18 Cavs, leading to a resurgent season. James’ first season in Los Angeles didn’t prove to be a smooth transition, but he still provided high end value despite the off year (for his standards).

The addition of Anthony Davis allowed LeBron to have someone compliment his dominant on-ball playing style as they seamlessly fit together. Despite Luka Doncic (another high on-ball volume player) being traded to LA for AD, James has reinvented his playing style to compliment Doncic as he’s been a more aggressive rim runner and rebounder for the Lakers. James, in his upper 30s, still provides borderline first (points) and second (cats) draft value, which showcases his overall fantasy consistency and longevity. LeBron continues to adapt his game and ultimately evade Father Time as he has molded himself into an all time fantasy basketball legend.