Now 15 years into his illustrious professional career, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James has shown no signs of slowing down. In fact, James is posting some of the best numbers of his career which is absolutely staggering considering he is now 33 years of age.
No matter how much he continues to produce, father-time is undefeated and LeBron James, eventually, will be no different. 15 seasons is a lot longer than most NBA players could ever dream of playing so when James was asked about retirement prior to the Cavs’ loss to the Toronto Raptors, it’s safe to say he knows his career has been anything but typical.
LeBron said it’s still up in the air as to when he will begin considering retirement, citing his growing family as one of the few motives he has to leave the game he loves. Following from ESPN’s Dave McMenamin:
“The only thing is with my kids getting older — that’s the only thing that would stop me from going as long as I would like to.
“I’ve got a 13-year-old son now; he’s in the seventh grade. He’s a damn good basketball player, too. On this road trip, I’ve already missed four of his games. So that’s the thing that kind of sucks. Have a 10-year-old boy, 3-year-old girl, so the daddy side kicks in sometimes. So that will be a deciding factor in how long I’ll play, but right now I feel great. So, we’ll see.”
Though LeBron James has had one of the most stellar careers in NBA history, it’s been abundantly clear just how important his family is to him. LeBron touched on his legacy as well, stating that he’s already done more in his 14 and a half years than he could’ve imagined:
“I’ve already went further than I thought I would go,” James said. “So everything else at this point is extra credit. I’m at 15 years in. I don’t know, I’ve been in this spotlight for half of my years, maybe more. I’m 33 now. This started when I was 15, so, yeah, more.
“Eighteen years I’ve been in this light, so I’ve already exceeded everything I’ve ever dreamed about. At this point, I’m just adding crazy toppings on the cake, like my daughter would do. Just throw all kinds of stuff on the cake and whatever happens, happens.”
LeBron James recognizes the abundant accomplishments he’s already achieved so his assessment is right on the money. There’s not much James has left to prove and he knows this.
Even with his family always on his mind, we shouldn’t expect retirement to be in the immediate future of LeBron James, especially with his team contending year in and year out and his production somehow maintaining peak level.
