LeBron James: I could remain elite until 47, but will retire earlier

Dec. 31 (UPI) -- LeBron James is now on the other side of 40, but says he could retain his elite playing level through 47. Unfortunately for his fans, he plans to retire before he gets that old.

James made the comments Monday, when he celebrated his 40th birthday. He'll suit up for the 1,808th game of his career -- an NBA record for combined regular season and postseason appearances -- Tuesday in Los Angeles.

That matchup will be against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the franchise that drafted him more than 21 years ago.

"To be honest, if I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level probably for about another -- it's weird that I might say this -- probably about another five to seven years, if I wanted to," James told reporters. "But I'm not going to do that."

James, who holds many of the league's most hallowed records, still is one of the game's dominant forces. Refinement of raw talent -- paired with meticulous care for his 6-foot-9, 250-pound frame -- enables the league's legend to persist.

Despite a taxing -- and league record -- 69,436 combined minutes played from regular season and postseason games, he is averaging 23.5 points per game this season -- the 21st-most in the NBA. He ranks fourth in assists (9.0) and 28th in rebounds (7.9) per appearance.

James, who averaged 38.8 minutes per game through his first 15 seasons, experienced a dip in playing time over the last several years, partially due to a planned maintenance program.

His minutes are down to an average of 35.2 per game since 2018-19. His 35 minutes per game this season trail only his career-low 34.6 average in 2019-20, when COVID-19 interrupted the season.

"It's kind of laughable, really, to know where I am, to see where I am still playing the game at a high level, still being such a young man, but old in the scheme of how many years I got in this profession," James said.

James is the oldest player in the NBA and among the oldest in league history. He is slowly rising up the latter list, which is topped by Nat Hickey. The former Providence Steamrollers guard/forward was 45 years, 363 days old when he played one game during the 1947-48 Basketball Association of America season.

Former Dallas Mavericks forward Kevin Willis (44 years, 224 days) was the oldest player to appear in an NBA game since 1948-49, when the BAA merged with the National Basketball League to form the NBA.

James could take over as the leader in that category if he plays six more years. He said he plans to stay retired once he makes the decision to unlace his shoes, effectively ruling out a comeback to target the record at later date.

James, who once was a perennial championship contender -- with eight-consecutive NBA Finals appearances from 2011 and 2018 -- admitted that this year's Lakers aren't title contenders in their current form.

The Lakers won 47 games last season, their highest total since James led them to a title in 2019-20. They won their first three games of 2024-25, but then lost four of five. They responded with a six-game winning streak. They are 8-9 since then and 18-13 on the season.

"Right now, I think we are a very good team," James said. "I think we have a chance to compete with anybody in the league. Are we at a championship level? Could we win a championship right now? No, I don't think so.

"But, that's good because we have so much room to improve. ... I don't know if that determines that I stick around longer because it doesn't change my career in any sense or fashion."

And James' long-pursued goal of matching -- or surpassing -- Michael Jordan's six championships might not happen if he remains with the Lakers. The four-time champion -- who also won titles with the Miami Heat and Cavaliers -- signed a two-year, $104 million extension with the Lakers in July. That pact includes a player option for next season.

The league's all-time leading scorer said "that's the plan," when asked if his career would end with the Lakers. He also admitted that he could wind up wearing another jersey.

"I would love for it to end here," James said. "I came here to play my last stage of my career and to finish it off here. But I'm also not silly or too jaded and know the business of basketball.

"I think my relationship with this organization speaks for itself. Hopefully I don't have to go nowhere before my career is over."

James and the Lakers will host the Cavaliers (28-4) at 9 p.m. EST Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena.