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LeBron James recently reflected on the prospect of retirement but stopped short of offering a specific timeline for when he might hang up his sneakers.
“I recognize that I’m on the downside of my career,” the 40-year-old forward shared during his appearance on the ‘360 With Speedy’ podcast. “I’m definitely not going to play for another 23 years, that’s for sure, and I don’t plan on extending my career by another decade either.”
“I’m certainly preparing for the inevitable conclusion, but that time hasn’t arrived yet,” added the four-time NBA champion, who is currently in his 22nd season in the league.
As he heads into his 23rd season, following being selected first overall in the 2003 draft, the upcoming 2025-26 season will mark his eighth with the Los Angeles Lakers, having previously spent 11 years with the Cleveland Cavaliers and four years with the Miami Heat.
In the last season, during a total of 75 games across the Regular Season and the Playoffs, he averaged 24.5 points, 8.0 assists, 7.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. Clearly, he shows no signs of slowing down, but the thought of retirement is becoming more imminent.
“Retirement is approaching,” he remarked, “but it’s not quite time yet.”
During the interview recorded on his recent trip to China, LeBron addressed a variety of subjects, including the controversy surrounding his claim about predicting Kobe Bryant’s famous 81-point game in 2006, and he reminisced about a young league opponent, Derrick Tarver, whom he considers the best player he has ever defended.
