LeBron James is not done yet with his player career. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is expected to be there for his team in the 2024-25 NBA season, which will also be his 23rd in the pros. Father Time will win his battle with the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player one day, but that will have to wait, as the future Basketball Hall of Famer still believes there's plenty of gas left in his tank.
However, James also recently admitted that he played hurt during the 2025 NBA Playoffs, specifically in the final game of the first-round series against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).
Nevertheless, the offseason gives the body of the 40-year-old LeBron James lots of time to heal up from the rigors of the recently concluded Lakers campaign.
“I have a lot of time to take care of my injury, my knee, the rest of my body and make sure I'm as close to 100 percent as possible when training camp begins in late September,” LeBron James said.
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Even at his age, James was still better than most players in the league this season. He played in 70 games during the regular season and averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists while shooting a 37.6 percent from behind the arc and 57.1 effective field goal percentage.
Against the Timberwolves in the playoffs, the 21-time NBA All-Star put up averages of 25.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists while also playing alongside Luka Doncic, who many expect to get the torch from LeBron James once it's time for the latter to leave.
“At this point of my career, you think about when the end is. That's human nature,” the four-time NBA champion shared. “You think, is it this year? Or next year? Those thoughts always creep into your mind at this point of the journey. But I have not given it a specific timetable, date. I'm seeing how my body and family reacts too.”
LeBron James signed a two-year, 101.36 million maximum contract extension with the Lakers in 2024, one that has a player option worth over $52.6 million for the 2025-26 NBA season, though, he's yet to decide on it.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines.