The Big Lead

Kendrick Perkins makes old 'car' analogy for LeBron James' bad stretch

By Aikansh Chaudhary

Nov 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts in the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Nov 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts in the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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It's unheard of for a 22-year veteran to dominate in the NBA. Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James started the 2024-25 NBA with the goal of proving people wrong.

Last season, James shattered every record for a Year 21 player in the league. It made fans believe that James is indeed a superhuman and may never show true signs of decline.

However, it feels like the 4x NBA champion has finally hit an obstacle that even he cannot overpower, it's his age. James will soon turn 40 years old and he proudly holds the title of the oldest player in the league. When he started the season a little slowly, most shrugged it off as early-season rust.

RELATED: LeBron James sounds off on Lakers' 'nasty' offense

But with each passing game, it's becoming more clear that James has lost a step or two on the court. He is currently facing the worst three-point slump of his career.

Things got worse for the King during the Lakers' recent 29-point blowout defeat as he scored just 10 points. It has led NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins to reach a conclusion about James' decline.

"A car running perfectly can fall apart after it hits 100k miles. Age 40 might be his 100k. I mean at least that what my grandfather told me when his Oldsmobile stopped running," Perkins wrote on X.

Big Perk's analogy could very well be true for the 39-year-old. James has had his fair share of bad games over the last few games, but they have hardly been this bad.

He is still putting up more than 20.0 points per game for the season, but his stats do not tell the full story. James admitted that his rhythm felt off over the past few games.

So what's next for James? Well, head coach JJ Redick could try resting him for a few games. After all, he has played in all 21 games of the season so far for the Lakers.

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