Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has reached a stage of his NBA career where each passing season leads to retirement speculation, and this summer is no different.
The veteran just completed his 23rd season in the league and hasn’t announced that he’ll be coming back for more, even though that seems to be the expectation around the NBA world.
If James were to return for another season, many have theorized that it would be his last in the league, but James’ former teammate Kendrick Perkins seems to think that the 41-year-old has multiple years left in the tank.
“I don’t think LeBron James retire after next year to be honest,” Perkins said. “I think he got two or three more years left in the tank.”
James playing three more years would delay his retirement until the summer of 2029, a timeline that would certainly surprise many. But with the way the future Hall of Famer played this season, it’s easy to understand why Perkins thinks James still has lots of basketball left in him.
The Lakers star 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 beyond the arc. While that’s remarkable production for any 41-year-old, what makes James’ season even more impressive is that he likely could’ve done more had his role required it.
Instead, L.A. leaned heavily on star guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves during the regular season, which allowed James to take a step back. But in the playoffs, his number was called due to injuries, and he stepped up by averaging 23.2 points per game and leading the team to a series win.
If James opts to continue his career, he will need to decide where to spend the 2026-27 season. A return to the Lakers is certainly possible. But if his career does end up lasting two or three more seasons, that may increase the likelihood that he puts on another jersey at some point in time.
NBA fans certainly don’t want to see the league’s all-time leading scorer retire anytime soon, so if Perkins’ theory is right, that’s good news for everyone.
