LeBron James gets real on if new Lakers contract could be his last

14 years ago today, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James sat across from Jim Gray and announced that the following season, he’d be taking his talents to South Beach to play for the Miami Heat. It was a decision — The Decision — that ushered in the NBA’s player empowerment era, the Miami Heat mini-dynasty, LeBron James’ villain stage, and the 24/7 nature of the NBA calendar. At the time we know that this moment closed one chapter of LeBron James’ career. What we didn’t know was that this seven-year-long chapter would only represent one-third of LeBron James’ NBA career, and hey, what do ya know, he’s still going strong.

What would follow would be a fourteen year run that included two more regular season MVP’s, eight consecutive trips to the NBA Finals, four NBA Titles, 25,000 more regular season points, three Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year awards, numerous feature film appearances, countless buzzer beaters and game-winning shots, billions of dollars, the birth of his third child, a return to Cleveland, the NBA’s defining defensive play, and a seat at the table with Michael Jordan in the Greatest of All-Time debate. Not a bad run.

Now, after his 21st season in the NBA — a season in which a 39-year-old LeBron would play over 2,500 minutes for the 14th time in his career — LeBron signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers worth over $100 million that will keep him in LA through his 23rd season in the NBA. When he does get to season 23, it would set the NBA record for most seasons played by any player in league history, and since that’s the case, it’s now worth asking the one crucial question that every fan of LeBron fears the answer to… could this be the last contract LeBron James signs in the NBA?

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that LeBron James’ time in the NBA is coming to a close. After all, only ten players in NBA history have played at least twenty seasons in the NBA, and LeBron James is one of them. It may not seem like it, because LeBron doesn’t yet play like an old man. He’s still out there chasing down layup attempts, rising up for alley-oop slams, logging big minutes in big games, and scoring damn near 27 points a night. That’s not supposed to be happening.

Back in the day, over ten years ago now, Nike ran an ad campaign for Jon Jones that described the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion as “Not Quite Human.” It’s fair to say that the folks in Beaverton should’ve saved that one for the guy who is giving Father Time his toughest test yet.

The Remarkable, Record-Setting career of LeBron James

I was going to list out some of the most impressive NBA records that LeBron James holds, but to be fair, there are simply too many to sift through on its official Wikipedia page. Over the next two seasons with the Lakers, he’ll break even more and further extend his lead in some categories. His resume is both irrefutable and unbelievable. But watch LeBron James play on a nightly basis, even at the advanced age of 39 years old, and you’ll see that the Eye Test is even more impressive than the Wikipedia test. And this year, when he catches a lob from Bronny James —  his son who wasn’t even born yet when LeBron entered the NBA — prepare for your brain to break, because it will.

It’s purely speculative, but as someone who has closely followed the career of LeBron James since he was a junior at St. Vincent-St. Mary, I have a feeling that LeBron James’ retirement may come on the heels of the 2028 Summer Olympics. At that point, LeBron will have played in the NBA 25 years — a quarter century of basketball at the highest level is INSANE — and his retirement tour could conclude as Team USA plays for a Gold Medal in Los Angeles. Again, this is purely speculative, but I believe that’s finally when Father Time will finally win his battle with the greatest basketball player who has ever lived.