2025-26 Midseason Mixtapes Vol 1, Track 3: The "End of and Era" tour

As the league introduces young superstars like Ant, Wemby, and Cade, the sad truth is that it is gearing up to move on from some of its most influential legends. Legends that will forever be cemented in the post-modern era of basketball. And even more shocking, they’re still icons of the league.

Steph Curry is pushing 38, is 12th in scoring at 27.4 a night, and earned a starting spot at the All-Star game.
Kevin Durant, at 37, is tied at 15th in scoring and just moved into 6th on the NBA’s all-time list.
James Harden, 36, is the other half of 15th in scoring while also sitting at 6th in assists.
LeBron, 41, looks human for the first time in 23 seasons. Albeit, he looks “LeBron” human. He’s still 27th in points and 19th in assists.
Even Chris Paul, the point god himself, has logged over 220 minutes of basketball this season.

We’ve been blessed with an absurd two decades of NBA greatness. And we didn’t just watch it — we experienced it like never before. We bullied our friends with these NBA legends in 2K, argued about them in group chats, Nancy Drew’d which Twitter handles were KD’s burner accounts, and built our entire sports identity around these guys. Every fan has “their era,” but this one has been unquestionably one of the greats.

And for their final act, these guys are demonstrating that skill ages far better than athleticism. Shooting, timing, footwork, manipulation, pacing… this is the stuff that powers the magic of basketball wizards. And clearly, it doesn’t expire on your 36th birthday.

Curry’s gravity still bends defenses. Durant still earns the Slim Reaper title with unforgettable daggers. The Beard still manufactures points at an inhuman rate. And the King still reigns — even when his body is beginning to protest.

And before you think that the best is in the past, remember that we’ve seen some of the greatest moments in league history in the 13th hour of a career. To name a few, we’ve had:

• “The Kobe Night”, when Kobe hung 60 points in his final game at Staples Center (April 13, 2016).
• “Dirk's Curtain Call”, when we saw the Mavs legend drop 30 in his final Dallas home game.
• “D-Wade does it again”, which solidified a Hall-of-Fame career with a Hall-of-Fame ending, closing his last NBA chapter with a triple-double (25/11/10 on April 10, 2019).

There are 19 active players over 36 in the association this season. If I can leave you with one request, it’s this:

If, like me, these guys shaped your NBA life, go see them if you can.

Even if it’s inconvenient.
Even if they’ve been your team's nemesis.
Even if you’ve always rooted against them.

Go see them. They’ve earned it.