LeBron James Reveals His Retirement Timeline – Lakers Fans Brace Themselves!

LeBron James continued to defy Father Time as the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a 128-123 comeback victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. The 20-time NBA All-Star couldn’t be stopped as he racked up 35 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, becoming the oldest player in league history to record three triple-doubles in a row.

It seems like people expect James to decline every year only for him to continue defying expectations. It’s getting to the point where fans are wondering if performances like his latest have left the four-time MVP considering if he should extend his career.

Following Wednesday’s win, the Lakers superstar was asked about how much longer he believes he can perform at an elite level.

“I don’t know,” James said to reporters, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I’m not going to play that much longer, to be completely honest. I don’t know how many years that is, whether it’s one year or two years.”

“I’m not playing until the wheels fall off. I’m not going to be the guy that’s disrespecting the game because I just want to be out on the floor.”

LeBron James, after becoming the oldest player in NBA history to record back-to-back triple-doubles by hanging 19 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds a month shy of his 40th birthday spoke about how much he has left: “I won’t do it until the wheels fall off, I’ll tell you that — Dave McMenamin

Nobody should be surprised that James doesn’t want to hang around the league beyond his expiration date. The Akron, Ohio native is often regarded as either the best or second-best basketball player of all time and the last thing he wants is to leave fans with the memory of him looking like the shell of his former self.

The good news for James is that he isn’t close to looking like the disrespectful player he doesn’t want to be. He’s been integral to the Lakers’ early success as he’s averaging 24.3 points on .524/.459/.789 splits while also putting up 9.4 assists and 8.1 rebounds through 11 games.

If the Lakers want to make some noise in the playoffs, it’ll be interesting to see how they manage James for the remainder of the regular season. Even though he’s currently playing at a high level, there are still 71 games remaining on the schedule the 39-year-old veteran knows that some things are out of his control.

“It’s not me,” James said during his post-game scrum about what dictates his playing future. “It’s wherever my mind is, it’s however my body’s going to go. Whatever the case may be.”

For now, retirement thoughts will be put on the backburner while the Lakers’ leader focuses on the current campaign.

James will aim for his fourth straight triple-double when JJ Redick’s team travels to face the San Antonio Spurs on Friday evening. The Lakers most recently fell 129-115 to the Spurs on their last trip to Frost Bank Center on Dec. 15, 2023.