On January 1st, Beijing time, in a game that has already ended, the Lakers lost to the Cavaliers at home with a score of 110-122. James welcomed his first game after turning 40 years old. Although his performance was not explosive, it was not disappointing either. He made 9 out of 17 shots, including 3 out of 6 three-pointers, scoring 23 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists, which is a moderate set of statistics.
Of course, looking at it from another angle, it's quite remarkable that James can still score 20+4+7 after turning 40, because many NBA superstars didn't even play until they were 40, such as Kobe, Chamberlain, Bird, and Magic Johnson; and there are also some superstars whose first game after turning 40 was not as good as James'. Let's take a look at how some of the historical superstars performed in their first game after turning 40.
Duncan: Due to his birthday, Duncan's first game after turning 40 was in the playoffs. On April 30, 2016, at the age of 40 years and 5 days, Duncan scored 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in his first game after turning 40, as the Spurs defeated the Thunder by 32 points.
Jordan: Jordan's first game after turning 40 was on February 19, 2003. The Wizards lost to the Hornets, with Jordan making 8 out of 23 shots and 4 out of 6 free throws, scoring 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists, which is not as good as James. However, in the second game after turning 40, Jordan exploded for 43 points.
Jabbar: Jabbar happened to have a game on his 40th birthday. On April 16, 1987, the Lakers defeated the Jazz by 13 points, with Jabbar making 5 out of 9 shots and 5 out of 6 free throws, scoring 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Karl Malone: Malone's first game after turning 40 was the opening game of the 03/04 season. By then, he was already a Lakers player. In his first game, he made 5 out of 11 shots, scoring 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists, almost achieving a triple-double.
Nowitzki: Nowitzki's first game at 40 was also his last season in his career. It wasn't until he was 40 years and 177 days old that he had his first game after turning 40, playing for 6 minutes and 10 seconds, making 1 out of 2 shots, scoring only 2 points.
Carter: Half-man, half-god Carter's first game after turning 40 was on January 27, 2017. At the age of 40 years and 1 day, Carter was already a Grizzlies player. In that game, Carter played for 24 minutes and 39 seconds, making 4 out of 8 shots, 1 out of 1 three-pointers, and 4 out of 4 free throws, scoring 13 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist.
Stockton: The all-time assists leader's stats in his first game after turning 40 were very close to James', making 7 out of 11 shots for 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Therefore, compared to himself, James' first game after turning 40 indeed lacked highlights; but when compared to others, James' first game after turning 40 was already quite impressive.