June 30 offered a reminder that age does not always dictate performance. According to ESPN, Shams Charania reported that LeBron James will continue his career with an unprecedented 24th season in 2026-27 and will change teams. The same day saw Serena Williams return to Wimbledon singles competition after nearly four years away.
James showed few signs of decline during the 2025-26 season at age 41. He averaged 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds in the postseason for the Los Angeles Lakers, logged 38.4 minutes per game and helped lead the team to a first-round series victory over the Houston Rockets while Luka Dončić was sidelined with a hamstring strain.
At 44, Williams played her first singles match in nearly four years at Wimbledon. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion announced earlier in the month that she planned to return to competition, including doubles with her sister Venus and singles play, seeking her eighth and seventh Wimbledon titles in those respective events.
According to ESPN, several other athletes produced notable late-career results. Tom Brady won four of his seven Super Bowl rings after turning 37; in his second-to-last season at 44 he led the NFL in yards (5,316) and touchdowns (43), and from his age-40 season to the end of his career he threw 193 touchdowns with a 65.6 completion percentage and added an MVP award. Peyton Manning missed the 2011 season due to neck surgery, signed with the Denver Broncos for his age-36 season and over his final four campaigns threw 17,112 yards, 140 touchdowns and 53 interceptions, culminating in a Super Bowl 50 victory for Denver.
Other examples cited include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who averaged 23.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists in his age-38 season and won three of his six rings and an NBA Finals MVP after turning 37; WNBA veteran Sue Bird, an All-Star in four of her final five seasons who led the Seattle Storm to titles in 2018 and 2020 and averaged a career-high 7.1 assists at age 37; Diana Taurasi, a 20-season Mercury standout who made All-Star teams in her age-36, 39 and 42 seasons and averaged 14.9 points, 3.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds in her final campaign; and Major League Baseball figures Barry Bonds and Willie Stargell, who produced some of their best numbers in their late 30s and early 40s.
