LOS ANGELES — It seems like an odd time to talk about retirement with a guy who just posted three straight triple-doubles and is playing at an All-NBA level.
However, time is now always part of the story with LeBron James – that one three consecutive triple-doubles set a record for the oldest player ever to accomplish the featwhen he did it at age 39. This broke LeBron’s old record at the age of 34. LeBron turns 40 next month, so the question of how much longer he can do this — or how much longer he wants to do it — arose.
“It’s the spirit,” LeBron said of what will determine when he hangs up his Nikes. “Wherever my mind is, that’s where the rest of my body goes, whatever the situation is. I’m not going to play for that long, to be completely honest. A year, two years, whatever the situation is. I said last time I don’t play until the wheels fall off.
“I’m not going to be that guy. I’m not going to be the guy who disrespects the game because I just want to be on the ground.”
LeBron is repeating what he’s said before, and what the handful of great athletes who get to choose when to leave the game have been saying for a long time (most professional athletes have that choice to walk away made for them when teams sign them despite not giving them a new contract indicate the player who wants to continue). It’s not about the body – especially in LeBron’s case when he has taken such exceptional care of his – but when the player no longer has the desire to put in the work necessary to prepare his body to to play. It’s not that said player doesn’t want to keep playing, but he doesn’t want to do what needs to be done to keep playing at that level.
LeBron will sit back and think at the end of this season, whenever that is for the Lakers, and then make his decision. Does he want to do this for season 23? The Lakers are happy to pay him if he wants to return.
The question is: when does his mind tell him he doesn’t want that anymore? LeBron doesn’t know when that will be, but he feels it’s coming.
