LeBron James puts timeline on potential NBA retirement, says he will not play ‘until the wheels fall off’

By Jacob Lev and Jamie Barton, CNN

(CNN) — LeBron James found yet another way to make history on Wednesday night, setting the record for the oldest player to record three consecutive triple-doubles as the Los Angeles Lakers came from behind to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 128-123.

After the game, the NBA superstar put a timeline on his potential retirement.

“I’m not going to play that much longer, to be completely honest,” James told reporters Wednesday.

“I don’t know how many years that is. If it’s one year or two years, whatever the case may be.

“I said the other night, I’m not playing until the wheels fall off. I’m not going to be that guy. I’m not going to be the guy who is disrespecting the game because I just wanted to be out on the floor. That won’t be me,” he said after the win.

James, who turns 40 next month, is still one of the best players in the league.

He dropped 35 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds against the Grizzlies to add to his triple-doubles against the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors in the two previous games.

It means that the NBA’s all-time leading scorer has beaten his own record as the oldest player to achieve the feat, which he set in November 2019 when he was 34 years old.

Last month, James and his oldest son, Bronny, became the first father-son duo to appear together in an NBA game.

Beyond playing with his oldest son, he previously intimated that he would still like to play in the NBA should his other son, Bryce, a high school senior, have a chance to play in the league.

When asked about the possibility of still playing the next couple of years and a chance to play at the same time as his youngest son, he told Sports Illustrated’s Chris Ballard in 2022, “So, it’s all up to my body, but more importantly, my mind. If my mind can stay sharp and fresh and motivated, then the sky’s not even a limit for me. I can go beyond that. But we shall see.”

Ahead of the Lakers’ October 30 game against his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, James was asked again about holding out to play with his youngest son.

“I don’t know,” James told cleveland.com. “We’ll see. That would be pretty cool. It’s all about my mind and then seeing how my body reacts over these next couple of years.”

Despite his age, James is averaging 24.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 9.4 assists in 11 games played this season. The Lakers are currently 7-4 on the season.

James will look for his fourth consecutive triple-double when the Lakers open up their Emirates NBA Cup slate on Friday, traveling to San Antonio to take on Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.

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