Sports
LeBron James can take advice from this Granny basketball player – USA TODAY
LeBron James, in a video that went viral last week, shrieked when asked for his reaction to being the oldest player in the NBA. Now James, the 38-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star, is getting feedback from a player who can relate to his situation.
Her name is Pat Conner, who at 91 is the oldest active player in the Granny Basketball League.
“Yeah, I’m a little bit older than LeBron,” Conner told USA TODAY Sports, and of being the oldest player in her league, she said, “It’s a huge honor.”
What can an NBA superstar learn from a 5-2, white-haired woman who played eight years for the Kansas Tornadoes, now plays for the ICT AeroBelles in Wichita, Kansas, and shoots free throws underhanded?
Well, James has talked about extending his career long enough to play with his oldest son, 19-year-old Bronny. Conner has shown how it can be done, playing alongside her 64-year-old daughter, Debbie, and occasionally with her 59-year-old daughter, Becky. (She has four more children, 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.)
“She has no fear,” Debbie said.
With amusement, Pat Conner added, “A lot of people do not know how old I am when I’m on the court and they play me like I’m a 60-year-old, and I kind of chuckle to myself because I think, ‘Oh, they really think I’m a threat, and I’m 91 years old.’ “
Conner texted video of herself making a free throw Granny-style. Then she texted video of herself making a hook shot.
“I’d send you a dunk shot, but it’s not allowed in the GBL,” she texted, followed by a laughing emoji.
The Granny Basketball League was founded in 2005, two years after James’ rookie season with the NBA. The minimum age is 50, and the league features 450 players and 42 teams in 10 states.
Unlike James, Conner was not a five-star recruit coming out of high school.
“They wouldn’t let us play in high school,” she said.
James graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in high school. While he went straight to the NBA, Conner took a different route.
She said she got her start playing basketball in the intramural league at Kansas University and once scored 38 points. Unlike her enthusiasm, her scoring output has dropped in Granny Basketball League, which plays six-on-six,
The court is divided into three sections, with two forwards and two guards on either end and two players in the center area, and Conner has played every position.
LeBron became the oldest player in the league July 28. That’s when Udonis Haslem, 43, announced his retirement after 20 NBA seasons.
Of course, James, who will turn 39 in December, isn’t just the league’s elder stateman. He’s one of its best players, coming off a season during which he was ninth in scoring (28.9 points per game), 19th in assists (6.8 assists per game) and 34th in rebounding (8.3 rebounds per game). He also made his 19th consecutive All-Star Game and led the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals.
Asked about his longevity, James said it stems in part from “understanding if you want to be great at something, you’ve got to put in the work.”
Texted Conner, “LeBron is the MAN!! And I would like to see him shoot a Granny Shot from the 3-point line.”
Like LeBron, Conner values hard work.
“As a side note,” she texted, “I did walk/run the 50 (meter) and 100 (meter) events in September at Kansas Senior Games.” She also said she started doing CrossFit in August and punctuated the revelation with a flexed bicep emoji.
After the Lakers got swept by the Denver Nuggets in the the Western Conference Finals last season, James said he would consider retirement. On his decision to return for a 21st season, James said, “I feel like I got a lot more in the tank to give.”
Said Conner, “My goal is to play until I’m 100 and still be on the court.”
By text message she added, “I say to the youngins just keep your mind active, stay on the court playing the game we all love and give it all you’ve got!!”
Any advice for a youngin like LeBron James?
“Keep playing as long as you can,” she said.