Could LeBron still be playing into the 2030s?
Eva Geitheim | Feb 1, 2025
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- Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James returns to the iconic Madison Square Garden with the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday as they take on the New York Knicks at his favorite road venue in the NBA. Though some are anticipating that there aren't many more trips for James to play at the Garden as his career winds down, longtime Knicks announcer Mike Breen does not see James retiring anytime soon.
Despite James turning 40 years old a month ago, Breen believes James has plenty of years in basketball ahead.
“The way he’s going, I think we’ll be having this conversation in 2032 and 2033 as he gets to 47, 48,” Breen told The New York Post. “It’s worth mentioning on the broadcast, certainly, because there is that possibility, but because there’s no definitive retirement date yet for him, thankfully, it can’t be a major focus on the game."
Breen does not know how much longer James will play, but he does know James has yet to state how much longer he does plan to play before retiring. Even James said in December that he feels he has another five to seven years playing at a "high level" if he wants to.
“Will we be seeing him again here? Is the crowd responding to him because they think it might be the last time? You just never know," Breen said. "So it definitely has to be a thought coming in because of what he’s meant to the league, and certainly the Garden has always been his favorite road arena. So it will be discussed, but not overblown, because I still have a feeling he’s going to be playing a few more years with what he’s doing right now.”
James has already achieved remarkable longevity in the sport, setting the NBA all-time career scoring record and making a record 21 NBA All-Star teams. There is not much more for James to achieve or prove in his career, but he can continue to set himself even further apart in the history books if he plays well into his 40s at a high level. With James still averaging nearly 24 points per game and ranking fourth in the NBA in assists per game, he is far from slowing down yet.