“What keeps him going now is the chance to win a championship, and Kareem’s record” – Shannon Sharpe believes LeBron James will make it to year 22 in his NBA career

LeBron James has been playing professional basketball for more than half of his life — he was born Dec. 30, 1984, and was drafted by the Cavaliers on June 26, 2003. The gap between those dates is 6,752 days. James is currently 37 years old, playing his 19th season in the NBA.

In a video from “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed” posted to Twitter, analyst Shannon Sharpe predicted how long James is going to be in the league.

“He plays at least 22 seasons … giving himself an opportunity to potentially play alongside his son (Bronny)," Sharpe said. "What keeps him going now is the chance to win a championship, and Kareem’s record.”

Can LeBron James reach 22 seasons in the NBA?

LeBron James’ son, LeBron Raymone “Bronny” James Jr., has been drawing interest from top college programs across the country.

The 17-year-old prospect is 6-foot-3, 190 pounds. Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina have their eyes on the Sierra Canyon High School junior. Bronny might not be the top recruit for the 2023 class, but he has possibly received the most attention.

James has averaged 27.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game in 1,325 regular season appearances. He has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. He is a 17-time All-Star and a three-time All-Star Game MVP. He has won four NBA championships (2013, 2013, 2016 and 2020), being named NBA Finals MVP each time.

James became the NBA’s youngest player to reach 36,000 points Tuesday and is the third player to reach the milestone. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the NBA scoring record with 38,387 points, with Karl Malone second with 36,928 points. James has 36,038 points.

Shannon Sharpe made two very good points with his guess on how long James will play in the NBA. With James' son so close to being drafted and the chance to become the NBA's all-time scoring leader, Sharpe’s guess seems accurate.

The NBA has yet to see anyone play in the league while their child is in the league. James could be close to adding another “first” to his career.

“The King” has averaged 28.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game this season. In just the last six games, James has clocked the following stats:

Showing no signs of slowing down, James looks able to make it to Sharpe’s estimate of 22 seasons. LeBron is still performing very well, even while averaging 37.2 minutes per game. His average in minutes is his highest since his 2016-17 year in Cleveland, when he led the Cavs to the NBA championship.

James, who turned 37 Thursday, would have to continue for at least another three seasons in order to have his son play with him in the league. That scenario assumes Bronny will be good enough to be drafted by 2023.

As "The King" continues to be dominant in the league, it looks to be a good assumption he may play long enough to share an NBA court with his eldest son, Bronny. As far as surpassing Abdul-Jabbar's record, only time will tell.