LeBron James is celebrating his 40th birthday on Monday, and he is still going strong in year 22 of his legendary NBA career. Despite that, retirement is likely right around the corner for the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, but he shared an interesting admission on the subject that quickly caught the attention of fans everywhere.
Even though he’s the oldest player in the NBA, LeBron has still been one of the best players in the league so far this season. Over 28 games for the Lakers, James is averaging 23.5 points, nine assists, and 7.9 rebounds per game on 49.6% shooting from the floor.
It hasn’t always led to wins for Los Angeles, but nobody is doubting James’ skills on the court. He revealed on his 40th birthday that if he wanted to, he could play in the NBA for another five-to-seven years. However, it doesn’t sound like he has any intention of playing until the wheels fall off.
“To be honest, if I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level for about another, weird that I might say this, but I’ve got another five-to-seven years if I wanted to. But I’m not gonna do that,” James said at the Lakers shootaround on Monday.
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As he’s gotten older, questions about when James would retire have swirled around him, especially considering he has shown virtually no signs of regression. Even as he turns 40, he’s still playing some of the best basketball of his career, and without him, it’s fair to wonder whether Los Angeles would even be a playoff contender.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James
© Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
While a firm timeline for his retirement is unknown, LeBron doesn’t seem to have any interest in playing well into his 40s. He achieved a major goal of his by playing on the same team as his son Bronny James this year, and it’s fair to wonder how much LeBron realistically has left to achieve in his career.
James will look to help Los Angeles win their third straight game when he takes the court for the first time as a 40-year old on Tuesday night against his old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.