Age [36] All-Star team

LeBron James lost in the first round of the playoffs for the first time on Thursday night, but he finished possibly the best Age 36 season in history.

James, who turned 36 years old on Dec. 30, averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.8 assists in 45 games for the Lakers. He missed 27 games with an injured right ankle.

The Lakers were 28-13 when he injured the ankle on March 20 in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks. They finished 30-14 with James in the lineup, 12-16 without him.

LeBron’s chief competition as the top 36-year-old is Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone, who averaged 25.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 1999-00. He played 82 games.

James, who has played 18 seasons, is now sixth all-time in minutes played with 50,055. Malone is second with 54,852.

They lead the Age 36 All-Star team:



STARTERS | Stockton to Malone ... and LeBron and Kareem.

Forward | Karl Malone, Jazz [1999-00]
>>>  25.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists

Forward | LeBron James, Lakers [2020-21]
>>>  25.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.8 assists

Center | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lakers [1983-84]
>>>  21.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 57.9 field goal shooting

Guard | Steve Nash, Suns [2010-11]
>>>  14.7 points, 11.4 assists, 91.2 free throw shooting

Guard | John Stockton, Jazz [1998-99]
>>>  11.1 points, 7.5 assists, 81.1 free throw shooting



BENCH | Chamberlain, Rodman led the league in rebounding.

Forward | Dennis Rodman, Bulls [1997-98]
>>>  4.7 points, 15.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists

Forward | Vince Carter, Mavericks [2012-13]
>>>  13.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 40.6 3-point shooting

Center | Wilt Chamberlain, Lakers [1972-73]
>>>  13.2 points, 18.6 rebounds, 72.7 field goal shooting

Center | Hakeem Olajuwon, Rockets [1998-99]
>>>  18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 blocks

Center | Tim Duncan, Spurs [2012-13]
>>>  17.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.7 blocks

Guard | Jason Kidd, Mavericks [2009-10]
>>>  10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 9.1 assists

Guard | Reggie Miller, Pacers [2001-02]
>>>  16.5 points, 40.6 3-point / 91.1 free throw shooting

Parting shots / Reggie Miller

One of the best clutch shooters of all time couldn’t even walk correctly as a child because of pronated hips, so he wore braces on his legs for five years.

He spent much of his career being called the second-best player in his family. His sister is Cheryl Miller.

He was booed when he was drafted by the Indiana Pacers because the hometown fans wanted Indiana Hoosiers star Steve Alford.

But Reggie Miller kept coming for 18 seasons, kept picking up his scrawny 6-foot-7, 190-pound frame up off the floor, kept running off screen after screen to hit more 3-pointers than anyone in NBA history and clutch shot after clutch shot.

Indeed, the Miller highlight reel is a long one.

In Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference finals, he scored 25 points in the fourth quarter, taunting Spike Lee after every shot in a 93-86 win over the New York Knicks.

The following season, in Game 1 of the conference semifinals, Miller scored eight points — two 3-pointers and two free throws — in 8.9 seconds in a 107-105 win over the Knicks.



Later that year, Miller released his autobiography: I Love Being the Enemy.

In 1998, he finally met Michael Jordan — that other clutch player — in the playoffs. In Game 4 of the conference finals, Miller hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left, but Jordan’s Bulls won the series in seven games.

In 2000, Miller averaged 31 points in the clinching games of each Eastern Conference playoff series to lead the Pacers to their first NBA Finals, where he averaged 29.5 points in the last four games as the Pacers lost to the Lakers in six games.

Miller never did win a championship. He never left for a bigger market either, remaining loyal to old-fashioned Indianapolis — even after his $2 million home was burned to the ground in 1997.

The blessing has been Indiana’s. Miller has come to define the basketball-obsessed state as much as Bob Knight or Larry Bird.

This is Miller’s last season, and he planned to spend it like he has the last few, tutoring future stars Jermaine O’Neal and Ron Artest.

But O’Neal is injured and Artest is suspended for the season, so the 39-year-old Miller is back, averaging 14.6 points, leading the league in free throw shooting and playing his position as no one his age has.

There he is, running off screen after screen, hitting 3-pointers and clutch shots. Here’s hoping there’s something left in the highlight reel.
— Kevin Brewer



This article originally appeared in The Washington Times on April 12, 2005.