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Throwback: When Michael Jordan Shared the Secret of His Longevity
Michael Jordan had a long and dominating career in the NBA and he did three-peat twice with the Chicago Bulls.
As he gears up for his 22nd NBA season and keeps up his stellar play, LeBron James has come to represent longevity. King James recently led Team USA to the gold medal at the Olympics in Paris, putting on an MVP-caliber display.
Michael Jordan, however, tops the list of NBA players, who are at least 40 years old in terms of scoring average, having scored 22.4 points in 30 games during his final NBA season in 2002–03. Following the season, Michael Jordan finally announced his retirement. He discussed the key to his longevity with the late John Thompson, the head coach of Georgetown.
"I think two things have to come in place. You have true love for what you're doing, and you have to be very lucky in terms of health. If you have both of them, you can extend, you can play as long as you want. Cuz you got to put forth the effort," Mike said.
Michael's passion for the game is undeniable. He had already retired twice before making a one-time comeback to play for the Washington Wizards, after all. MJ also enjoyed a reasonably healthy career, missing just one regular-season game in eight of his fifteen NBA seasons.
Big John equated Jordan's longevity to that of legendary NFL player Jerry Rice, who was active until the age of forty-two. Rice was one of the NFL's top pass catchers even at 40 years old. In his three seasons above 40, he caught 185 of them for 2,509 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
At 39 years old, LeBron averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists. Given that Bron will turn 40 in December, it will be interesting to see if he surpasses Mike's scoring record the following season. Even so, MJ will always be the first player to average more than 20 points per game as a 40-year-old. That is a commendable accomplishment.
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