LeBron James has his retirement plans clear. While the 39-year-old will be suiting up for the LA Lakers in what will be his 22nd season in the NBA, he knows there will be a time he will hang up those LeBron's for good.
The seasoned forward offered a cryptic, yet hilarious take on retirement when his teammate Anthony Davis asked if he would divulge his retirement date to him in Netflix's "Starting Five".
Episode 6 titled "All-Star, Baby" sheds light on James' 40,000 points run in the NBA — a feat achieved on Mar. 2, 2024, this year during the Lakers' regular season matchup against the Denver Nuggets.
In the team's locker room later on, the 4x NBA champion was asked when his potential retirement would be, and Davis asked if James would reveal it to him. The answer was no.
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"I'm not telling nobody. I won't... nobody knows. I just won't show up at work the next day. Nobody's gonna know."
Davis believed that James had the physical reserves left to push past 45,000 points, and maybe get to 50k as well. But 5,000 points to his current 40,474 is a long way to go, and with the superstar touching 40 this December, there's less chance that James will push to achieve the number.
Ahead of the season, James made it abundantly clear that he was gunning for a fifth championship, although the Lakers are somewhat entering the new season with a bit of a transitional phase with JJ Redick at the helm.
While 45k points is a nice way to retire, LeBron James in all likelihood would pick another piece of hardware instead.
"I do have a lot in the tank": LeBron James believes he has a lot to offer ahead of Year 22 in the NBA
LeBron James was a picture of optimism during the LA Lakers' "Media Day" last month. The 4x NBA MVP believed he had enough juice to compete this season. Speaking to the media, he quashed all notions of slowing down.
“I do have a lot in the tank … a lot."
James' longevity over his career has been simply stellar. He made the NBA All-Star team in each of the last 20 seasons — a league record he set since making it during his sophomore season.
James is also an all-time leading scorer after surpassing fellow Lakers icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 2023. Now, it remains to be seen of he has enough to win his second title with LA, and fifth overall.
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