D-Wade says it must ‘suck’ a little bit for LeBron to still be this good

Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade shared an interesting take on Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James as he navigates the next steps in his basketball career.

James is 41 years old and has played 23 seasons in the NBA, and he’s yet to officially announce whether or not he’ll return for the 2026-27 season.

Wade explained that it may be harder for the four-time champion to step away from the game of basketball because he’s still a really good player.

“It has to suck a little bit to get to this point in your career and still be really good,” Wade said. “… It’s hard to make that decision when you still really f—— good. Who walks away when they’re really, really good? Only a few. It ain’t a lot of Barry Sanders who just walk away when they really good.

“And you’re talking about a guy who’s been doing this his entire life. This is what he knows better than anyone since he’s been playing this game, right? He’s become this generation’s G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time), and so, how do you walk away from being a G.O.A.T. when you still a G.O.A.T.?”

James clearly is still one of the better players in the NBA, and he proved that by making an All-Star team and leading the Lakers to a playoff series win in the 2025-26 season.

During the regular season, James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from 3. Even though he took on a smaller role in the Lakers’ offense when Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were both healthy, James was still a winning player, helping the team secure the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.

After Doncic and Reaves both were injured toward the end of the regular season, James was forced to revert to a No. 1 role in the playoffs, especially in the first round against the Houston Rockets.

James led the Lakers to a 3-0 series lead in that matchup, and the Lakers eventually won the series in six games. Reaves returned in Game 5 of the Houston series, but James was the driving force for Los Angeles through its playoff run. Doncic never returned.

James finished the postseason averaging 23.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game across 10 appearances.

It’s possible that James will want to return for at least one more season to chase another championship ring, and he also may want to see just how long he can play at an elite level. There are still teams interested in him, as it was reported that virtually “every contender” has checked in on James with an eye on his future.

Hopefully, the four-time MVP will keep playing next season, as it’s hard to imagine the NBA without him. James was picked No. 1 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft, and he’s been a staple in the league ever since.