When former Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan made his iconic championship-winning shot over Utah Jazz forward Bryon Russell in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, it was the end of an era in more ways than one.
Jordan was 35 years old when he led the Bulls in scoring in the last of their six championships. Since then, no player at that age has been the leading playoff scorer for a champion, and only one other NBA club has been led in postseason scoring by someone 35 or older: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the 1984-85 Los Angeles Lakers at age 38.
That's interesting context as the NBA's older generation of MVPs tries to add another ring to their collection. Stephen Curry, the next oldest leading scorer for a title winner after Abdul-Jabbar and Jordan at 34 with the 2021-22 Golden State Warriors, turned 36 on Thursday. Kevin Durant, who celebrated his 35th birthday on Sept. 29, is slightly older now than Jordan was for his last championship. And LeBron James, who some could argue offers a bubble asterisk to this stat, would be the oldest leading scorer for a champion ever at 39.
All three stars began the season with legitimate hope of turning back the clock and winning another title. Now, as they battle to avoid the Western Conference play-in tournament, they're looking like long shots of varying degrees.
What does history tell us about their chances of hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy again?
