LeBron James opened up on how much longer he expects to play in the NBA after a sensational 40-point outing against the Brooklyn Nets.
“Not very long. I’m on the other side. I’m not gonna play another 21 years, that’s for damn sure. But not very long. I don’t know when that door will close as far as when I’ll retire. But I don’t have much time left.”
LeBron James on how long he expects to continue playing in the NBA: “Not very long. … I’m not gonna play another 21 years, that’s for damn sure. But not very long. I don’t know when that door will close as far as when I’ll retire. But I don’t have much time left.” pic.twitter.com/OtJzM6cheI
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 1, 2024
We’ve heard James flirt with the idea of retirement before, especially after the end of last season. Everyone knows James wants to play with his son Bronny in the NBA, so he definitely will return next season to see if he and Bronny can be teammates. How long he plays after that is a question only he can answer.
James isn’t regressing as a player as steeply as many would expect him to. He had one of the best offensive games of his career tonight, dropping 40 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in their win over the Brooklyn Nets. James shot 13-17 and went 9-10 from three, giving him a TS% of 101.6% for the games.
Will LeBron James Want A Farewell Tour?
Many of the all-time greats had announced farewell tours in advance of their retirement season to make sure paying fans across the country could see them play. Michael Jordan had one on the Wizards, Kobe Bryant had it on the Lakers, Dirk Nowitzki had it on the Mavericks, Dwyane Wade had it on the heat, and even Paul Pierce had it on the Clippers.
Everyone has questioned whether James will expect similar treatment upon the announcement of his retirement. However, James has maintained that he isn’t sure of how he’ll announce his retirement to the world.
“I don’t know how many seasons I have left. I know it’s not that many. I also don’t know, I was asked this question a couple of days ago: ‘Will you take the farewell tour or just Tim Duncan it?’ I’m 50/50. I’ll be honest because there are times I feel like I owe it to my fans who have been on this journey with me for two decades plus, to be able to give them that moment. That seems cool. But on the other side, I’ve never been that great with accepting praise. It’s a weird feeling for me.”
LeBron is averaging 25.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.1 assists this season, clearly showing no signs of needing to retire at the end of the year. He’s still among the elite wings in the NBA and can stack more accomplishments, given his body is still functional for an NBA game.