By Rory Carroll
(Reuters) – LeBron James on Monday said he hopes to finish his historic career off as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, remarks the NBA’s all-time leading scorer made on his 40th birthday.
“That’s the plan. I would love for it to end here,” James told reporters after practice in Los Angeles.
“I came here to plan the last stage of my career and to finish it off here, but I’m also not silly or too jaded to know the business of the game as well, to know the business of basketball.
“But my relationship with this organization speaks for itself.”
Asked when he would know it was time to hang up his high tops, James said his exit would come before he felt he could no longer compete “at a high level.”
“I could probably play this game at a high level for about another five to seven years if I wanted to, but I’m not going to do that,” he said.
“King James” is a four-time NBA champion, four-time league MVP, 20-time All-Star and the winner of three Olympic gold medals.
James joined the Lakers from the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018 and led Los Angeles to a championship inside the biosecure COVID-19 “bubble” in 2020.
He surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the league’s all-time leading scorer in February 2023 and this season teamed up with his son Bronny to become the first father-son duo to play on the same NBA team together.
The evergreen James has continued to shine in his 22nd NBA season, averaging 23.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and nine assists while shooting 49.6% from the field for the 18-13 Lakers.
Tributes to the Akron, Ohio native on his birthday poured in from teammates past and present, competitors, coaches and more.
The Lakers host the Cavaliers on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in San Francisco; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
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