It feels impossible, but there will come a day when Los Angeles Lakers legend LeBron James isn’t playing in the NBA.
James turned 41 last December, but don’t tell him that. The 22-time All-Star, four-time MVP, four-time NBA champion, and four-time NBA Finals MVP hit yet another milestone just last night. He passed Kareem-Abdul Jabbar to set the record for most career made field goals in NBA history. James had already passed Abdul-Jabbar to become the league’s all-time leading scorer in Febraury 2023.
Understandably, James has shown some signs of age in an unprecedented 23rd season — primarily as a defender — but he’s still averaging 21.4 points, seven assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 44 starts for the 37-25 Lakers.
It seems James could play forever, but he knows he can’t.
James exclusively spoke with Melissa Rohlin for this The California Post piece published Friday morning. During their sprawling conversation, James forecasted how he’ll feel when his retirement finally comes.
“I kind of look at it like when you lose a loved one and you have a funeral,” the 2003 No. 1 overall pick said. “People tend to be sad, but it’s also a celebration of life. I think for me, when I’m done with this game, it’ll be a celebration of life and not of loss. It’ll be a celebration of everything I’ve been able to accomplish in this game, everything I’ve put into it. The moments, all the love.”
James also said he has envisioned how his career will end: “Me smiling. That’s the best way I know for sure that I’ve gotten the most out of it.”
The Lakers making a deep playoff push would go a long way toward James smiling, but Los Angeles is clinging to the sixth seed in the Western Conference. Any team with James and Luka Doncic shouldn’t be flirting with the Play-In Tournament, but the Lakers set themselves up for the possibility through mystifying roster construction around Doncic and James. For the first time, everything isn’t orbiting around James.
Whenever the Lakers’ 2025-26 campaign ends, James will become an unrestricted free agent. If he chooses to keep playing, he could return home to the Cleveland Cavaliers, or he could fulfill his longtime wish of playing alongside Stephen Curry in Golden State. But if it ends now, he can smile knowing he had one of the best NBA careers of all time.
