Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James celebrated his 40th birthday on Monday, and although the 20-time All-Star is currently in his 22nd season and has gray in his beard, James told reporters after Lakers practice that he feels he could probably play for another five to seven more years. But context here is important.
“I had a decade of the 30s, so to just wake up and just be like, ‘Oh shoot, oh damn, you’re 40?'” James said, after returning to the team after missing Saturday’s game against the Sacramento Kings while recovering from an illness.
“It’s kind of laughable, really, to know where I am, to see where I am still playing the game at a high level, still being such a young man but old in the scheme of how many years I got in this profession.”
LeBron James will become the 32nd player on Tuesday night to appear in an NBA game in his 40s
Last season, James became the first player in NBA history to average at least 25 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists at the age of 39. No other player has ever averaged those numbers after their 10th season.
Earlier this season, at 39 years and 319 days old, James became the oldest player in NBA history to post three straight triple-doubles. The streak tied the longest of his career, matching the three he had from Nov. 1 to 5, 2019; Dec. 14 through 17, 2017; and March 7 to 12, 2009.
22 YEARS IN THE NBA.
40 YEARS OF LIFE.HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY TO THE KING, LEBRON JAMES! 👑 pic.twitter.com/dHTlZwaqDJ
— NBA (@NBA) December 30, 2024
Per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, James is also the youngest player in league history to reach scoring milestones at 1,000 through 40,000 career points and play in 22 seasons, tying Hall of Famer Vince Carter.
More importantly, when James faces his former team in the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, he will become just the 32nd player to appear in an NBA game in his 40s, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
James can play another 5-7 more years, but he won’t
However, LeBron James admitted to having considered retirement.
“To be honest, if I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level probably for about another — it’s weird that I might say this — but probably about another five to seven years, if I wanted to,” James said. “But I’m not going to do that.”
Through 28 games (all starts) this season, James is averaging 23.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 9.0 assists, and 35 minutes per contest while shooting 49.6% from the field, 35.7% from 3-point range, and 76.7% at the foul line.
A special player.
A special career.
Still dominating 22 years in.Happy 40th Birthday to LeBron James 👑 pic.twitter.com/La9UDEScmn
— NBA (@NBA) December 30, 2024
During the 2022-23 campaign, LeBron James told ESPN the last goal he hoped to accomplish after breaking Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s all-time scoring record would be to share the court with his son, Bronny James.
The four-time MVP achieved that objective on opening night this season, closing out the second quarter of the Lakers’ season-opener victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves with Bronny, whom the Lakers selected with the No. 55 pick in the second round of this year’s draft.
“You came in as an 18-year-old kid and now you’re sitting here as a 40-year-old, 22-year vet with a 20-year-old in the NBA, as well,” James said Monday. “So, it’s pretty cool.”
James has since stated that his last remaining motivation is the chance to compete for a fifth championship. The Lakers are currently 18-13 and rank seventh in the Western Conference standings.
Lakers traded D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-rounders to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith, Shake Milton
On Sunday, Los Angeles traded D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round draft picks (2027, 2030, and 2031) to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton.
The trade created salary and luxury tax flexibility for the Lakers, saving a total of $15 million and moving $3.5 million below the second apron. They are reportedly still looking for upgrades ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha.
“Right now, I think we’re a very good team,” LeBron James added. “I think we have a chance to compete with anybody in the league. Are we at a championship level? Can we win a championship right now? No, I don’t think so.
“But that’s good because we have so much room for improvement. I don’t know if that determines if I stick around longer because it doesn’t change my career in any sense or fashion.”
While James is unsure whether or not he can win another title with the Lakers, the four-time NBA champ let it be known that he wants to retire with the purple and gold.
“That’s the plan,” James said. “I would love for it to end here. That would be the plan. I came here to play the last stage of my career and to finish it off here. But I’m also not silly … [not] to know the business of basketball. But I think my relationship with this organization speaks for itself. And hopefully, I don’t got to go nowhere before my career is over.”
Perhaps James will finally call it quits if the Lakers end up winning another title.
