Lakers’ LeBron James says he could – but won’t – play at a high level for ‘another 5-7 years’

EL SEGUNDO — When LeBron James steps on the court for the Lakers’ game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, he’ll add another accomplishment to his extraordinary list by becoming part of an exclusive club of people to play in the NBA after turning 40 years old.

James, who turned 40 on Monday, will become the 32nd player in league history to appear in an NBA game (regular season and playoffs) after their 40th birthday.

He’ll be the first player since former Miami Heat teammate Udonis Haslem (2022-23) to accomplish the feat.

James said he didn’t originally think about playing until he was 40 when the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him with the No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft.

But crossing the 40-year-old threshold offered him the opportunity to not only reflect on his past, but also look at what the future could hold.

James, who is in his 22nd NBA season (his seventh with the Lakers), hasn’t hesitated to acknowledge the obvious understanding that he’s at the tail end of his playing career.

If the NBA’s all-time leading scorer returns next season, he’ll break a tie with Vince Carter for the most seasons played in the NBA.

James responded “of course” when asked on Monday whether thoughts about the ending of his playing career have increased, adding that his relationship with retirement is “very good.”

But he made it clear that when he does retire, it won’t be because he isn’t capable of playing at a high level anymore.

James has averaged 23.5 points (49.6% shooting), nine assists and 7.9 rebounds in the 28 games he played this season before turning 40.

The statistical averages for a player after turning 40: 6.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

“Because to be honest, if I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level probably for about another – it’s weird that I might say this – but probably about another 5-7 years, if I wanted to,” said the four-time NBA champion, who helped lead Team USA to another Olympic gold medal this summer. “But I’m not going to do that.”

James’ comments were in line with what he said after a Nov. 13 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies – when he broke his own record as the oldest player in league history to record three consecutive triple-doubles.

“I’m not going to play that much longer, to be completely honest,” he said at the time. “I don’t know how many years that is, if it’s one year, if it’s two years, whatever the case may be. But I’m not … I said that the other night, I’m not playing until the wheels fall off.

“I’m not going to be that guy. I’m not going to be the guy who’s disrespecting the game because I just want to be out on the floor. No, that won’t be me.”

James – who last summer signed a two-year, $101.3 million contract with a player option for the 2025-26 season – acknowledged he’ll miss the game when he eventually does retire.

But no matter how much he misses playing, he was adamant that he won’t be like other athletes who have retired, made a comeback and then retired again.

“No,” James repeated five more times when asked if he’d make a comeback after retiring. “I would miss the hell out of it, for sure. But no, I won’t walk away and come back. No.”

Would James want to play longer if the Lakers, who entered Tuesday at 18-13, were able to compete at a high level this year and beyond?

“I don’t know – possibly,” he responded. “But you ask that question, the first person I thought about [was former Philadelphia Eagles center] Jason Kelce. Earlier this year, he had a sit-down with [Philadelphia Eagles quarterback] Jalen Hurts talking about that same factor, the fact that they’re extremely good this year and have you had the thought of coming back and maybe not retiring. Of course. But he’s very happy with the decision he’s made.

“Right now, we’re a very good team. 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. But that’s good because we have so much room for improvement, and we just added two new guys as well in DoeDoe (Dorian-Finney Smith) and Shake [Milton]. So we’ll see how we incorporate those guys. 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.”

James, who has been subject to mild trade rumors at times over the past two years and has a no-trade clause in his contract, reiterated that he wanted to finish his career as a Laker.

“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. And hopefully I don’t got to go nowhere before my career is over.”

His 40th birthday, if nothing else, provided another moment to reflect on his longevity.

“I mean, I had a decade of the 30s so to just wake up and just be like, ‘Oh shoot, oh damn, you’re 40?’ It’s kind of laughable, really, to know where I am, to see where I am still playing the game at a high level,” he said. “Still being such a young man but old in the scheme of how many years I got in this profession. But I just think when I came into the league, obviously that’s like the first thing I thought about. You came in as an 18-year-old kid and now you’re sitting here as a 40-year-old, 22-year vet with a 20-year-old in the NBA as well. So it’s pretty cool.”

CAVALIERS AT LAKERS

When: Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Where: Crypto.com Arena

TV/radio: Spectrum SportsNet, 710 AM