"Michael Jordan never had it" - Celtics legends are blown away by LeBron James making waves in 21st year of NBA career

Among LeBron James' many talents, one of the most remarkable is his longevity. He is still a dominant force in his 21st year, averaging 24.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in 33.6 minutes per game.

Boston Celtics legends Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce expressed awe at LeBron James' enduring career. Garnett even went as far as to claim that Michael Jordan never achieved the level of strength and impact that The King is currently at.

“Michael Jordan had it, he never had it like this.[LeBron] can probably stop the war right now … That’s how strong Bron is right now,” Garnett said.

Pierce, meanwhile, said fans should not underestimate the significance of LeBron James.

“Think about this: He in his 21st year. He can make 25 years,” he said. “There’s gonna be more players that's gonna be playing because as we as athletes evolve, we getting stronger, better, longer.”

“And so we're gonna see more players playing 21 years, but for the simple fact, we haven't seen nobody play 21 years at this level.”

Vince Carter, besides LeBron James, is the only other player to boast a career spanning 21 seasons. Carter averaged 7.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while playing 17.5 minutes a game for the Atlanta Hawks in 2018-19.

Garnett said what James is doing isn’t shocking.

“I’m not shocked at anything. He’s invested in this and I’ve actually expected him to look something like this,” he said. “And then you know what he’s doing too? He’s putting the precedent; he’s putting the pressure on the KDs, and everybody else because they gotta follow this.”

LeBron James and his record-breaking 21st season

LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time top scorer in February of this year. On November 21, he became the league's first player to score 39,000 points.

James said the feeling of breaking records never gets old for him.

“There’s been so many great players that came across this league since the beginning of time, and so many great scorers,” he said (per NBA.com). “To be able to accomplish something that’s the first of anything, I think that’s always pretty cool. It’s a wild moment, that’s for sure.”

James has the opportunity to climb into the top three in all-time free throws made this season. As of Tuesday, he has made 8,165 free throws, and above him are Kobe Bryant with 8,378; Moses Malone with 8,531; and Karl Malone with 9,787.

Abdul-Jabbar holds the record for the most minutes played in NBA history, with a total of 57,446. While James currently trails behind with 54,764 regular-season minutes, he is on the verge of surpassing No. 2 Karl Malone, who logged 54,852 minutes.