It’s no secret that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is in the twilight of his NBA career at this point.
At 39 years old — with his 40th birthday coming up in December — he’s the oldest player in the NBA at the moment. James is also amid his 22nd season in the league, which is tied with Vince Carter for the most seasons played by a single player in NBA history.
The four-time champion explained after the Lakers’ win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night that he will likely retire from the league in the somewhat near future.
LeBron says the end of his career is coming soon 😢
"I'm not gonna play that much longer to be completely honest…1 year, 2 years. … I'm not gonna play 'till the wheels fall off."
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) November 14, 2024
Hence, it shouldn’t come as a major shock to Lakers fans that ESPN’s Shams Charania thinks that James won’t be playing in the NBA for all that much longer.
“My sense is next season could potentially be his last season in the NBA. … Maybe Bryce James keeps him around an extra year or two.”
—@ShamsCharania on LeBron's future in the NBA 👀 pic.twitter.com/ByPkcvl9KU
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 14, 2024
James’ quality of play with the Lakers so far in the 2024-25 regular season hasn’t indicated that he’s in decline at all, despite his advanced age and all the mileage on his body. He is averaging the second-most points and rebounds per game on the team, behind Anthony Davis, while also dishing out a team-high 9.4 assists per game.
The 20-time All-Star remains one of the elite playmakers in the game, considering he is averaging the third-most dimes per contest of any player in the league behind only Nikola Jokic and Trae Young.
Overall this season, James is averaging 24.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game while shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 45.9 percent from deep.
The Lakers sit as the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference at the moment with a record of 7-4, and they are also winners of their past three contests. Los Angeles has beaten the Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors and Grizzlies during its current winning streak.
While James arguably has nothing left to prove as an NBA player when factoring in all he’s accomplished, it would be poetic if he were to win another title with the Lakers before calling it quits on his pro career.
