EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — LeBron James marked an important milestone on Monday, celebrating his 40th birthday while reflecting on his lengthy basketball career and maintaining an optimistic outlook for his future with the Los Angeles Lakers.
When questioned about how he’d recognize the right time to retire, James—who holds the title as the leading scorer in NBA history—offered an honest perspective on his ongoing capabilities. “To be honest, if I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level for about another – weird that I might say this – but about another five or seven years, if I wanted to,” he shared. “But I’m not going to do that.”
Despite already having one of the most extended stints in the league’s history, James is acutely aware that his time in basketball is finite. He has consistently expressed his intention not to cling to the game longer than necessary. However, that moment is not here yet; he remains a powerful player for the Pacific Division-leading Lakers, averaging 23.5 points, 9.0 assists, and 7.9 rebounds this season.
“It’s kind of laughable, really, to know where I am, to see where I am still, playing the game at a high level,” James remarked. He fondly reflected on his journey, recalling the transition from being an 18-year-old rookie to now being a 40-year-old veteran with 22 years of experience, especially with another young player entering the league. “It’s pretty cool,” he noted.
This season marks James’s 22nd in the NBA, tying him with Vince Carter for the longest career in league history. He is set to join a select group of players who have competed after turning 40 when the Lakers take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night. Notably, James led the Cavs to their only major sports championship in 2016.
James expressed a sense of disbelief about turning 40, a sentiment many can relate to when confronting significant age milestones. “I had a decade of the 30s, so to just wake up and just be like, ‘Oh shoot, oh damn, you’re 40?’” he said, smiling.
His awareness of the passage of time deepened two months ago when he and his son Bronny made history as the first father-son duo to play in the NBA simultaneously.
James is optimistic about how the current season is shaping up for the Lakers, who appear rejuvenated under new coach JJ Redick. Over the weekend, the team strengthened its lineup by trading D’Angelo Russell to Brooklyn in exchange for wing defender Dorian Finney-Smith and guard Shake Milton.
“Right now, I think we’re a very good team,” James stated. “I think we have a chance to compete with anybody in the league. Are we at a championship level? Can we win a championship right now? No, I don’t think so. That’s good, because we have so much room to improve, and we also just added two new guys as well. We’ll see how we incorporate those guys. It should be fun as well. But we’ll see. I don’t know if that determines if I stick around longer because it doesn’t change my career in any sense or fashion.”
Looking ahead, James is not contemplating a future beyond Los Angeles, where he has developed a fulfilling life with his family since moving there in 2018. He anticipates finishing his career with the Lakers. “I would love for it to end here,” James said. “That would be the plan. I came here to play the last stage of my career and to finish it off here. But I’m also not silly or too jaded to know the business of the game as well, to know the business of basketball. But I think my relationship with this organization speaks for itself.”
