LeBron James reaffirms 'plan' to end career with Lakers
12/30/2024 05:22 PM
Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward LeBron James turned 40 years old on Monday. But while most other players would have already been retired from the NBA at that age, the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player continues to play for LA. Not only that, but James is more than just a bench ornament for Los Angeles; he is an important cog in the Lakers’ machine.
James also has a decision to make soon about his time with the Lakers, as he has a player option to decide on for the 2025-26 NBA season. Based on what he said about his outlook in the NBA, it seems that he’s very much likely to pick that option up and finish his career in the league with the Purple & Gold franchise.
"I think that's the plan. I would love for it to end here,” LeBron James said of his potential plan to stay for the remainder of his NBA career with Los Angeles, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
“I came here to finish the last stage of my career and to finish it off here. … Hopefully I don't have to go nowhere before my career is over."
LeBron James still playing at a high level for the Lakers
And despite turning 40 years old, James appears to believe that he’s got plenty of gas left in the tank. He implied that he could be playing for more than a couple more years in the league while talking with reporters on Monday. But that kind of decision doesn’t seem to be tied up with his ability to sustain his form.
“It won’t be because I can’t play this game at a high level… If I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level for another 5 to 7 years if I wanted to,” James said (h/t Jordan Richard of Swish Cultures).
The next time LeBron James takes the floor, which could happen as soon as this coming Tuesday against his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers in LA, he would become just the 30th player in the history of the NBA to see action as a 40-year-old or older. James missed last Saturday’s game against the Sacramento Kings due to illness, but he should be able to return to the court soon.
On the season, James is averaging 23.5 points, 9.0 assists and 7.9 rebounds per game while posting a 55.1 effective field goal percentage.
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