The 41-year-old basketball legend that is LeBron James will begin another march toward an NBA title as "King James" leads the Luca Dončić-less Los Angeles Lakers against the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.Because of life without Luca (hamstring), the spotlight will heavily be on James in 2026. James has long been used to that. All the way back in 2004, the pressure immediately was on James and he won the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award.

Since then, many other players have earned the honor, and in one sense, that shows LeBron's greatness. Between 2004 and present day, eight players have been named the NBA's Rookie of the Year and have already finished their careers... yet James is still rolling on. Who exactly?

Here are all eight: Emeka Okafor (2005)Retired: 2018. Brandon Roy (2007)Retired: 2013Derrick Rose (2009)Retired: 2024Tyreke Evans (2010)Retired: 2019Blake Griffin (2011)Retired: 2023Michael Carter-Williams (2014)Last played: 2023Malcolm Brogdon (2017)Retired: 2025Ben Simmons (2018)Last played: 2025This article originally appeared on List Wire: See which recent NBA Rookies of the Year LeBron James has outlasted