This was definitely a thing just back in the 2000s. You had guys like melo, tmac, Paul pierce, wade, Dwight ect all decline in this age range or way before. People always mentioned lebron still being so good when he was 33. At first that seemed like an anomaly. Now, you have guys like curry, kd, kawhi, dame, lebron still(lol) jimmy butler, all still being in their prime at 33+. Is it an advancement in technology and medicine? Something else?
People were having this conversation in the NFL a few years ago when Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Tom Brady were all effective into their late 30’s and even 40’s. Everyone thought it was going to be the new normal until a bunch of other QB’s fell off and retired right on schedule.
Turns out it was just a little group of extreme outliers who by random coincidence were all playing at the same time, and human beings still age like human beings. LeBron playing at this level at his age doesn’t mean the universe has shifted any more than Jordan or Kareem still balling when they were 39-40 did. Some dudes really are just built different, and top stars usually play longer because they are falling off from a higher peak.