Baron Davis Says LeBron James Could Play Until 45 And Hopes Steph Curry Ends His Career With The Hornets

Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors passes as LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Former Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Hornets guard Baron Davis is among the many who are very excited to see JJ Redick begin his career as the Los Angeles Lakers' head coach.

Davis matched up against Redick during the last few years of his playing career after the Duke alum landed in the NBA with the Orlando Magic as a first-round pick in 2006, following a highly decorated career with the Duke Blue Devils. The former two-time NBA All-Star is familiar with Redick and preaches one key trait that the rookie head coach will bring to the table – consistency.

"Consistency," says Davis in a one-on-one interview with RG on behalf of his entrepreneurship platform, Business Inside The Game. "You have consistent genius, you have consistent intelligence. You have a consistency not to be afraid. JJ Redick is going to hold everyone accountable."

Davis explains why Redick's personality should translate well for a Lakers team that has struggled to find consistency under LeBron James.

Los Angeles won the NBA Finals during the 2019-20 season, but they've either missed the playoffs or failed to advance past the first round in four of James' six seasons with the Lakers.

"He has confidence in his know-how," says Davis. "I think that confidence and his brand will transfer for the Lakers. You're thinking smart; you're thinking consistency, you're thinking hard-working, you're thinking tough as nails. I think the Lakers need to be more of that than Showtime. They're not Showtime."

Davis has a point—the Lakers are not the "Showtime" franchise of the 1980s or the early millennium Shaquille O'Neal/Kobe Bryant-led squads. Despite featuring two proven stars in James and Anthony Davis, along with a proven supporting cast in D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves, Los Angeles finished last season with a mediocre 47-35 record and a seventh-seed finish. The Denver Nuggets eliminated them in five games.

The team's offensive rating (115.9) was a microcosm of their lack of "Showtime," ranking 15th in the NBA. It was merely a slight improvement over their offensive rating from the 2022-23 season, when they posted a 114.5 offensive rating.

While Davis won't make any concrete predictions about this year's Lakers, he does believe Redick can turn the team around.

"The Lakers have a whole new team – new coach, new coaching staff, new philosophy, new players," says Davis. "Obviously, their personnel, their talent is undeniable. They got the King (LeBron), they got AD. With the Lakers, it's the matter of, how are they going to play? What JJ Redick is going to demand out of and get out of his team. I'm excited, because as someone who loves the game and loves talking about basketball to see JJ – with his intellect – I'm rooting for him.

"Because I want to see more players coaching players and I feel it's really up to what we're going to see out of the Lakers as a product," Davis continues. "There's going to be some bumps and bruises, but I can almost imagine that JJ Redick is going to be the person that turns the Lakers around."

The main key to success may be the availability of their 39-year-old star, LeBron James. The four-time NBA champion is entering his 22nd season and ranks among the top players in the NBA. At an age when most players are retired, James continues to defy age and adds more accolades to his legacy. Last year, the four-time MVP played in his record 20th All-Star Game and was named to his 20th All-NBA squad.

Davis says James could play until "he's 45" if he wants to.

"I think LeBron can play until 45 if he wants to," says Davis. "I know he loves Los Angeles, but in L.A. you have to win championships. That's going to determine how many championships the Lakers win or whether they're championship contenders. For LeBron, he's playing to win championships. It's a matter of when he feels like he's done enough. He's already done more than what we all expected. We all appreciate his gift and what he's brought to this league. When the King is ready to retire, then we're done."

The Lakers will open their regular season schedule on Tuesday night when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves. LeBron will have the opportunity to make history by taking the court with his son, Bronny James, becoming the first father-son duo in the NBA to do so.

While Bronny has struggled in his early games with the Lakers – he averaged just 4.2 points in 16.2 minutes per game on 29.7% from the field and 8.3% shooting from beyond the arc – he did produce his best outing in the preseason finale against the Golden State Warriors, posting 17 points with four rebounds.

The elder James has two years left on his contract with the Lakers—he holds a player option for the 2025-26 season—and has yet to indicate when he'll retire. Warriors star Steph Curry, at the age of 36, is also at a similar point in his career, on a team that doesn't look to be a contender.  

Following a tremendous performance during the Olympics in which James and Curry helped lead Team USA to a gold medal as their best players – despite being the oldest players on the roster – there have been whispers that the two greatest superstars of this generation could team up in the NBA for the first time.  

While that may be a dream for many, Davis doesn't believe that the two rivals, who faced off four times in the NBA Finals, will team up on an NBA team.

"No," Davis says without hesitation. "With LeBron, no."

It may not be a dream of Davis' to see Curry and James team up, but he does have one hope – to see the Warriors star end his career with the Hornets. Curry attended high school in Charlotte, North Carolina and his dad, Dell, played for the Hornets from 1988 until 1998. Davis began his career with the Hornets in 1999 after being selected third overall in the draft, spending his first six seasons with the franchise while posting two All-Star bids and an All-NBA selection.

"Steph can play forever with the way he's shooting the ball," says Davis. "Would love to see him finish his career with the Warriors. If not, probably the Charlotte Hornets."

Meanwhile, Curry's former teammate, Klay Thompson, will play for another team, the Dallas Mavericks, for the first time in his NBA career. While the "Splash Brothers" will be no more, Thompson will begin a new era in his career alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who are coming off of a season in which they led the Mavericks to a surprise NBA Finals appearance.  

Davis calls Thompson's departure from Golden State – where he won four NBA titles and became one of the greatest three-point shooters ever – "heartbreaking," but says it's part of the game.

"Heartbreaking, but that's the game," says Davis. "Klay Thompson is a long-time Warrior, he will always go down in history in the Hall of Fame as a Warrior. It happens to the greats all the time. You see them in a jersey you're not used to seeing them in. I think it's a great situation for Klay because he gets to be a super important piece to what the Dallas Mavericks need. As a defender, as a scorer, but also as a vet, you partner him with Luka, with Kyrie, there's a lot of open shots this guy is going to get without having to run plays."