JJ Redick Jokes About LeBron James' Status for Lakers vs. Suns: 'DNP-Old'

LeBron James will once again be the oldest player in the NBA this season, and his new head coach had jokes about his age catching up to him on Thursday.

J.J. Redick said James would not play on Thursday due to rest and also had a quip about his star player.

"DNP - Old. … Taking it out of Pop's book," Redick said, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin, who also reported that "a source familiar with James' plans confirmed to ESPN that the forward will not play in L.A.'s preseason finale Friday against the Golden State Warriors."

Though James will be 40 in December, he's continued to defy the laws of aging.

In his 21st season last year, he played 72 games, the most he has played in a season since the 2017-18 season when he played all 82 games. He put up 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game and led the Lakers to a 47-35 record and a playoff appearance, where they lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round.

James has played limited minutes in three preseason games so far and it's not much of a surprise to see him sit out of the Lakers' final preseason games as he looks to get his body as much rest as possible before a long season.

It's unclear how much more James has in him before he calls it a career, but he seems to be ready to have another productive season this year to continue adding to his lengthy resume.

Another title would do wonders for his standing in the GOAT conversation, but it will be tough. The West is once again stacked this year with strong teams like the defending Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks, a team on the rise in the Minnesota Timberwolves and a young team looking to prove itself in the Oklahoma City Thunder.

If fans have learned anything over the past two decades, it's that a James-led team is always a contender, and he'll look to prove that to be true once again this year.