Numerous achievements mark LeBron James’ career, but his remarkable longevity may be the most striking aspect of his legacy. This has led people to wonder about other players, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, and how long they have left in the NBA.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is entering his 13th NBA season and will also turn 31. Now that he is in his 30s, people will likely discuss how he could regress. It is normal for athletes to regress in their 30s, especially with the wear and tear they have gone through.
Many people bring up LeBron James and his elite longevity, and Antetokounmpo has given his take on longevity and how to take care of one’s body in high-level sports. People like Isiah Thomas have raved about James’ longevity because it is legitimately impressive.
For an athletic player like Antetokounmpo, this is even more significant because he mostly uses his body to dominate opponents. He is a top player and will continue to be one for a long while, but questions have been raised about his long-term future.
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty ImagesAntetokounmpo’s thoughts about longevity in the NBA
Most NBA fans will associate Antetokounmpo with using his physical traits to overpower opponents. In the past, he was a rail-thin teenage prospect, but he continued to work hard and develop his body. That led to him becoming one of the league’s most dominant and successful players.
For the better part of a decade, Antetokounmpo has lived up to his billing as the Greek Freak. Now that he is getting a bit older, some people might have reservations about how he would adjust to his age.
Antetokounmpo himself has always been aware of that, but he is optimistic about his career as he ages. Thankfully, he has some of the best medical professionals helping him maintain his body amidst all the physical games he is playing.
“I think guys have more knowledge about their body and what they’re trying to accomplish. I don’t want to disrespect anybody who played in the past, because you try to respect all the previous people for us, because they paved the way for us,” Antetokounmpo said during training camp.
“But, we have more access to new medicine, new technology, we can take better care of our body. I think at this point, if you don’t follow the blueprint that guys like Vince Carter, Dirk, LeBron, KD, if you don’t follow that blueprint, like, I don’t know what blueprint you know you should follow.”
“I think just guys are smarter about how to take care of their body. That’s what you see guys playing longer now. And for me, that’s what I want to do too. This is year 13. When I get to 36, I think obviously I’ll be able to play high-level basketball, because I take good care of my body.”
“And after that, we will see, we’ll see how much we can go. If we can go, we’ll go if we cannot go, we will go somewhere in an island in Greece.”
Antetokounmpo can maintain his high-level play for a long time
In the modern era, it is much more common for older players to remain productive even in the twilight of their careers. That can be seen with today’s older players like James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry. They are still superstars in their older age, and Antetokounmpo could join them in a few years.
Vince Carter was also a good example of an older player remaining productive. Of course, he did not maintain his prime productivity, as Curry or James have, but he was a solid player for over two decades.
Antetokounmpo and the rest of the modern-day players have access to state-of-the-art medicine and sports science. With that, the NBA will have some older players having longer careers than previous eras, as seen with James, and possibly Antetokounmpo.