We all have elders whose gums flap a bit looser now that they’re older. They hold no punches; they give no “F’s” in this season of their lives. Well, the same can be said for the NBA’s oldest player, LeBron James. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer has been making his media rounds as we near the beginning of the 2025-26 NBA season. Most recently, he made comments about dating culture on his wife Savannah’s podcast, Everybody’s Crazy. His comments revealed a bit more about his own experiences and how they relate to the present-day climate. For someone who has kept the details of his relationship dynamics so private, it was a welcome change.

Beauty in vulnerability

I tend to believe that extremely public and guarded figures begin to let you in a bit more, the older they get. Take Jay-Z during his 4:44 era. He was probably the most vulnerable he had ever been on record. For that matter, he was as vulnerable as he was imperfect. It made for beautiful art. The stand-up comedy equivalent of that for me is Chris Rock’s Tambourine. Again, it was another instance in which an artist confronts and let everyone in on their humanity in a way that they haven’t before. With Rock, it was the news of his divorce and his transition into single parenting that was the hook for that special.

So, with James, it isn’t salacious commentary that he’s giving. But what caught my attention was his going into detail about why. He details why he wants to stay married, stating, “If I got to fight, crawl, scratch, bite, whatever to keep mine, I got to keep it. I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do.”

James goes on to detail how his upbringing as an only child in a single-parent household necessitates this reality for him. Now we all know about James’ background, at least those of us who know ball. But James has never been this vehement about how committed a partner he is at his core. For that matter, I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that he’s having this conversation at this stage of his career.

Beauty in candor

The conversation also involved superstar streamer Kai Cenat, and points were made regarding today’s current dating landscape. James made a point to highlight what he sees as “cutthroat women” and how they operate, saying, “You got to look in the mirror and say, ‘It’s not me,'” James said. “The men, too, ’cause it’s some it’s some cutthroat, ruthless-a** b****es out here right now too.”

Citing experiences that he has seen some of his teammates go through, James expresses that he isn’t naive to today’s dynamics. Dating talk just hasn’t ever been the James bag. There’s so much that he has held close to the vest, even though his family can be outward-facing. But there is something really fly about seeing a generational athlete just let go a bit. You can see him speak from authority and know that in his own world and way, he has put the work in to cultivate the relationship that he has. He also sees the value in it, juxtaposed to what so many other single people are dealing with.

If we’re to believe anything, it’s that throughout the 23rd season of James’ career, we’ll continue to see a lot more “F’s” thrown out the window. And to be fair, after 23 years on our screens, he absolutely deserves the right.