'I'm not going anywhere': LeBron James plans to play 'a few more years'
LeBron James recently turned 38 years old, and he's now in his20th NBA season.
Any day now, James will pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA'sall-time leading scorer, while also ranking fourth on the NBA's careerassists list. He is a four-time NBA champion, with four FinalsMVP trophies, four NBA MVP awards and 19 All-Star selections.
Even if he never plays another minute in the NBA, James would bewidely regarded as the greatest player of all-time (or a closesecond behind Michael Jordan, depending on who you ask). James hascemented his legacy and there's not much left for him to prove.
But James isn't content with his loaded resumé. And just in casethere were any doubts about his future, he made it clear on Tuesdaynight that he has no plans to retire anytime soon.
"I’m not going anywhere," James said. "I’m going to be in thisleague for at least a few more years.”
This lines up with what James said last year on "The Shop" whenasked about his future.
"I'm trying to squeeze as much juice out of this mothaf***in'orange as I can," James said. "And I'm still good. If I was outthere on some bullsh*t, like nasty-looking Bron, I'd have beenquit. But I'm still nice as f*ck out there!"
For years, people have tried to predict when James would take astep back and start losing his battle against Father Time. Hell,people have made lucrative careers out of praying on LeBron'sdownfall.
But as James' pointed out, he is still putting up dominantnumbers after two decades in the NBA — averaging 30.2 points, 8.5rebounds, 7.1 assists, 2.2 threes and a steal for the Los AngelesLakers.
LeBron's game has obviously changed over the years, but hecontinues to fill the stat sheet and deliver jaw-droppingperformances on a regular basis. Two weeks ago, he had a 48-point,9-assist, 8-rebound, 5-three showing in a win over the HoustonRockets. In late December, he had a 47-point, 10-rebound, 9-assist,4-three outing in a win over the Atlanta Hawks.
This season, James has scored 40 or more points on fiveoccassions, and he's topped 30 points in 21 of his 40 contests.
Back in September, James inked a two-year extension with theLakers, which included a player option for the 2024-25 season(worth $50,434,636).
Perhaps the biggest reason why James wants to continue playingis because he wants to team up with his son, Bronny, inthe NBA for a year or two. Bronny won't be draft eligible until the2024 NBA Draft, meaning the 2024-25 campaign will likely beBronny's rookie season (and perhaps LeBron's final year?).
“My last year will be played with my son,” JamestoldThe Athletic last year.“Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whateverit takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the moneyat that point.”
James has earned $390,511,090 from his NBA contracts alone, andhe's made even more money off the courtfrom his business ventures and endorsements.
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