LeBron James will once again be the NBA's oldest player this season, and his new head coach joked about his age when he caught up with him on Thursday.

JJ Redick said James wouldn't play Thursday because of a break and also made a joke about his star player.

“DNP – Alt. … I'll take it out of Pop's book,” Redick said, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

Even though James turns 40 in December, he continues 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 averaged 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 pre-season games so far and it is no big surprise that he will miss Thursday's match as he looks to give his body as much rest as possible ahead of a long season.

It's unclear how much more there is in James before he calls it a career, but he appears poised for another productive season this year to further add to his lengthy resume.

Another title would have a positive impact on his standing in the GOAT conversation, but it will be tough. The West is again full of strong teams this year, including the defending Western Conference champions, the Dallas Mavericks, an up-and-coming Minnesota Timberwolves team and a young team looking to prove itself in the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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