LeBron James recently began his record 23rd NBA season after he missed a month due to sciatica. He turns 41 in December and while he’s every bit of a timeless superstar, James’s historic career is certainly in its twilight.
The big question remains, though: when will James officially call it quits?
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin shared some insight into James’s plans when discussing the Lakers star’s incredible streak of receiving All-NBA honors in 21 straight seasons.
“If James believes this could be his last season—something that sources close to James have insisted that he remains undecided about—he might feel even more responsibility to suit up for every game on what would then be a retirement tour,” McMenamin wrote Tuesday.
NBA players need to play in at least 65 games to be eligible for postseason awards. James has missed 14 games already due to his absence to start the year. He can only miss three more games over the rest of the season to stay eligible for All-NBA and continue the streak. At age 40, that’s a difficult ask, especially in an era of load management and numerous back-to-back games that can include travel in between.
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It’s to be determined whether this season will be James’s last. He picked up a $52.6 million player option with the Lakers for this season and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent after this year. If he wants to come back for year 24, the Lakers (or another team) would almost certainly be open to a short-term deal for the superstar.
Apparently, James himself doesn’t even know whether this is his last NBA season. The Lakers are Luka Dončić’s team in the future, but the four-time champion certainly wants to add another title to his résumé. Whenever James’s retirement tour comes, it will be a spectacle. He may be in the middle of it now, just nobody knows it.
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