The NBA offseason has kept Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James extremely busy. He traveled to China for his “Forever King” tour and attended his Hall of Fame induction in Springfield, Massachusetts. However, the topic of his retirement remains on hold and keeps all his fans in suspense.
James is about to become the longest-tenured player in NBA history. The upcoming season will be his 23rd in the league, but at age 40 he is already weighing his exit from professional basketball.
LeBron’s retirement seems imminent
According to Athlon Sports, many in the NBA are asking how LeBron James will handle his retirement. That’s why on Monday ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst gave an update on how the King will approach this decision. He just entered the final contract with the Lakers.
LeBron James is unsure about when he will stop playing in the NBA 🧐 pic.twitter.com/ykQoiueVBr
— Ball Exclusives (@ballexclusives) September 9, 2025
“He goes year by year… Could this be his last year? Yes. Will it be his last year? I don’t know. Does he know right now? Maybe. My interpretation is that it’s not set. He’ll see where he stands at the end of the year,” Windhorst said.
The NBA champion has already stated he has no immediate plans to retire, since he believes he still has much to give. In fact, he remains one of the Lakers’ most productive players. However, he has also made it clear that he doesn’t want to play until his body can no longer respond.
“Obviously, it’s the mind: wherever the mind goes, the rest of my body will follow… I don’t know. I’m not going to play much longer, to be completely honest. I don’t know how many years that means—maybe one, maybe two. Whatever the case, I won’t play until the wheels fall off. I won’t be that guy,” James said recently.
