LeBron James hints at retirement timeline after historic streak: ‘I’m not going to play that much longer’

LeBron James made the sort of history he makes frequently on Wednesday: he became the oldest player to accomplish a feat his younger counterparts practically never reach. This time, it related to triple-doubles. James is up to 116 of them in his career, but more importantly, he’s now done so three games in a row. That makes him the oldest player ever to do so, breaking a record previously owned by … himself. Nearly five years ago, James broke the exact same record with three straight triple-doubles during the 2019-20 season.

It’s the sort of thing only James could accomplish, but it was also a reminder that he won’t be doing this forever. James is 39. He’s comfortably the NBA’s oldest player now. He’ll turn 40 in December, and he’ll soon break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s minutes record. This is coming to an end sooner or later, and as James hinted after Wednesday’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies, it’s time for the basketball world to start thinking more in terms of “sooner” than later.

“Obviously, it’s the mind; wherever my mind is, is how the rest of my body is going to go, whatever the case may be, I don’t know. I’m not going to play that much longer, to be completely honest,” James said. “One year, two years, whatever the case may be. I said the other night that I’m not playing until the wheels fall off. I’m not. I’m not going to be that guy. I’m not going to be the guy disrespecting the game because I just want to be out on the floor.”

This mostly stands up to both James’ previous statements on the matter and the reporting done by others. ESPN’s Shams Charania said that James would play two or three more years before the season began. As recently as Sunday, James said that he wouldn’t “do it until the wheels fall off.”

But the longer he keeps breaking records, the harder it is to believe that he’s nearing retirement. James is still a top-20 scorer in the NBA. He ranks fourth in the league in assists and the Lakers are 7-4 under new coach JJ Redick. He’s on track for a record 21st All-Star selection at this rate, and with a few roster tweaks, he could potentially go on another playoff run. James may not be at his peak, but he’s still among the very best players in the NBA. There’s no reason to believe he can’t continue to help teams for years to come.

But all good things come to an end, and James has other ambitions. He has said openly that he hopes to own an expansion team in Las Vegas, and he is involved in a number of other businesses as the first active NBA player to ever become a billionaire. James is busy. He may not be showing it, but he’s getting older. Enjoy these record-breaking performances while you can, because there may not be that many more of them left.

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