LeBron James Hints At Impending Retirement: ‘I Don’t Have Much Time Left’

Time comes for us all.

Even the seemingly timeless LeBron James, who continues to put up superstar numbers in his 21st season in the NBA.

James was finally forced to acknowledge his impending retirement on Sunday, stating that he doesn’t “have much time left on an” on an NBA court.

“Not very long. I’m on the other side, opposite of the hill. So I’m not gonna play another 21 years, that’s for d— sure,” James said when asked about his career winding down. “But not very long. I don’t know when that door will close as far as when I’ll retire. But I don’t have much time left.”

Those comments came after yet another historic performance for James. He shot 9-of-10 from 3-point range and scored 40 points in a 116-114 Lakers victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

LeBron James Is Still One Of NBA’s Top Players Despite Talk Of Retirement

James, 39, is averaging 25.4 points, 8.1 assists and 7.3 rebounds for a Los Angeles team still fighting for a playoff spot. He’s played in 65 games thus far, the most since the 2019-20 season, and is likely to surpass that number down the stretch.

He ranks sixth in the league in Value Over Replacement Player and ninth in Player Efficiency Rating according to Basketball Reference.

So by just about any metric, James is still one of the league’s top players.

But that hasn’t translated to winning late for the Lakers, who haven’t contended for an NBA championship since they won it all in 2020.

That is why James is reportedly considering looking elsewhere when he hits free agency in the summer. Los Angeles remains the favorite to retain the superstar. But New York, Philadelphia and Miami have reportedly remained interested as each team looks to get over the hump.

Wherever he ends up playing, it appears that LeBron James’ days on an NBA court are numbered.