NBA Legends of this Era: Can the final few superstars live up to their legacy?

The current NBA landscape is unprecedented, a true crossroads of four overlapping generations of stars, each bringing unique styles, experiences, and aspirations. The 2025 NBA Playoffs are painting a clear picture that the league is no longer ruled by a single dynasty or aging legend, it’s being reshaped by a wave of emerging superstars and balanced team identities. 

The old rhythm, that passing of the torch from one generation to the next, used to feel almost ceremonial. A clear cycle of succession governed the NBA, Magic and Bird passed to Jordan, Jordan gave way to Kobe and Duncan. Then came LeBron, Steph, KD, and their era of dominance. And for a while, it seemed like the next wave would follow suit, but 2025? That pattern is broken.

The final few stars from the 2003–2009 draft classes who are still active in 2025 are once the face of the league, they’re now its elder statesmen, and each one represents a different story of longevity, reinvention, or hanging on through sheer will. 

 The Old Guys: Draft Classes 2003–2009

LeBron James (Age 40) – Los Angeles Lakers

• Drafted: 2003 (1st overall) 
• Status: Still playing at a high level in Year 22  
• Legacy: 4× NBA champion, all-time scoring leader 
• Role in 2025: Mentor and still capable of taking over games — a legend refusing to fade 
• “The timeless standard.” 

Al Horford (Age 38) – Boston Celtics

• Drafted: 2007 (3rd overall) 
• Status: Veteran anchor for a Finals contender 
• Legacy: Quietly one of the most consistent and reliable bigs of his era 
• Role in 2025: Locker-room leader, defensive specialist, spot starter 
• “The ultimate pro.” 

Stephen Curry (Age 37) – Golden State Warriors

• Drafted: 2009 (7th overall) 
• Status: Still lethal, but the Warriors’ dynasty days are dimming 
• Legacy: 4× champ, revolutionized basketball with the 3-point shot 
• Role in 2025: Franchise centerpiece and mentor, still a nightly threat 
• “The shot that changed everything.” 

Russell Westbrook (Age 36) – Denver Nuggets

• Drafted: 2008 (4th overall) 
• Status: Role player for a contender, now in a more limited capacity 
• Legacy: Former MVP, triple-double machine 
• Role in 2025: Energy off the bench, secondary playmaker 
• “From engine to sparkplug.” 

James Harden (Age 35) – Los Angeles Clippers

• Drafted: 2009 (3rd overall) 
• Status: No longer elite, but still crafty and productive 
• Legacy: MVP, multiple scoring titles, postseason ups and downs 
• Role in 2025: Veteran guard, managing reduced minutes and expectations 
• “The artist of isolation.”
  

  -LeBron early exit at first round
  -Steph got injured at 2nd round
  -Russ lost in game 7
  -Kawhi and Harden early exit
  -KD missed the playoffs
  -CP3 turning 40
  -AD & Klay banished to Dallas
  -Dame achilles
  -Kyrie ACL
  -PG is podcasting

  The ERA we grew up watching is coming to an END pic.twitter.com/sbEl8PNxok

  — Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) May 19, 2025

   

Younger stars like SGA, Ant Edwards, Haliburton, Jalen Brunson, don’t just have fresher legs.
They have systems designed around them, depth around them, and momentum. Curry, LeBron, and Harden? They’re still stars, but they’re outnumbered, outrun, and often out-supported. 

If these legends aren’t flawless, their teams don’t advance. And flawless, night after night, in this playoff gauntlet? Even for the best of all time, that’s an almost impossible ask in Year 15, 18, or 22.

This is the brutal, honest question facing the aging legends of the NBA:

“Can we still carry a team — not just contribute to it?”

They’re not just aging well, they’re aging in ways we didn’t know were possible.

And because of them, we now have to ask: Where’s the new ceiling for greatness? Because they’ve already shattered the old one.

This is just one of the quiet revolutions happening under the surface of the 2025 NBA season. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) hasn’t just changed the rules, it’s reshaping  how stars age, how teams are built, and how dynasties die.

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