LeBron James Says He Could Play at a High Level for Another 5-7 Years

Speaking after a Lakers practice session, the basketball superstar stated his intention to finish his NBA career with the Lakers and ruled out making a comeback once he decides to leave the league. When asked what might influence his decision to retire, James emphasized that a loss of competitiveness would not be the determining factor.

“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, back with the team after missing Saturday’s game against the Sacramento Kings while recovering from 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.”

James, the youngest player in NBA history to reach scoring milestones from 1,000 to 40,000 career points, has now become only the second to play 22 seasons, matching Hall of Famer Vince Carter. On Tuesday, when he takes the court against his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, he will join an exclusive group as just the 32nd player to appear in an NBA game in his 40s, according to ESPN Research.

While James acknowledged that thoughts of retirement have crossed his mind more frequently, the four-time champion—fresh off a gold medal and MVP honors with Team USA at the Paris Olympics—stated he could continue playing much longer if he chooses.

“To be honest, if I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level probably for about another — weirdly, 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.”