LeBron James is now a 40-year-old man, making more history just by getting a year older.
The all-time great will become the first player in NBA history to have ever played a game both as a teenager and as a 40-year-old the next time he takes the court. He’s still going strong in his 22nd season, too, averaging 23.5 points and nine assists per game as of his birthday on Dec. 30.
As if that weren’t impressive enough, James has also exceeded the hype following him around since he entered the NBA in 2003, playing at an All-Star level essentially since he entered the league. But there are other stars who’ve also lived up to the tremendous weight put on their shoulders before they became professionals. Just in the last 14 months, Victor Wembanyama, Paul Skenes and Caitlin Clark have started to meet the sky-high expectations that have been placed on them.
Those three still have a lot of their respective careers to play out, though. So, let’s take a look at James and nine other 21st century professional athletes who’ve made good on, or even surpassed, the expectations surrounding them.
Before entering the WNBA, Parker’s high school accolades included being named the 2003 and 2004 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year, the only two-time award winner of the USA Today…
