LeBron James has been dominating the sport of basketball for so long that some are just flat-out ready to see him move on. His longtime friend and former Los Angeles Lakers teammate, Carmelo Anthony, may be one of those people.
Anthony made an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert this past week. After spending his high school days and NBA days in competition with James, Anthony was tired of it all. The recent Hall of Fame inductee joked that it was time for LeBron to hang it up.
Anthony said, "He's still going, it's unbelievable, man. ... That's my brother. ... For me to be entering the Hall of Fame, and for him, hopefully, to get his ass up out of there and come on over this side. Enough is enough. Give it a break."
Carmelo and LeBron both entered the NBA back in 2003 as a part of the same draft class, with James going first overall and Anthony following at third overall. It should be no surprise to anyone the Lakers superstar is the last remaining member of his draft who is still active. If Anthony has his way, that fact would change soon.
LeBron James retirement is near — but not inevitable
LeBron won't play forever. Even if one would be fair to estimate that James could probably still be a reliable contributor well through his 40s.
If it was not clear, Anthony was clearly having a good laugh in his segment with Colbert. However, the talks of James' looming retirement have been somewhat of a hot topic recently.
Many have speculated whether James' recent ad with Nike hinted at his playing days coming to an end. There is naturally a lot of reading between the lines in that process, but that has not stopped basketball fans.
He is the Forever King.
The LeBron XXIII arrives soon. Prepare to behold the greatness. pic.twitter.com/ovSMUdSVM8
— Nike Basketball (@nikebasketball) September 1, 2025
ESPN insider Brian Windhorst suggested no decision has been made yet. It was his estimation that James was taking the matter on a year-to-year basis.
If LeBron was going to retire at the end of this season, that would give the needed context as to why his camp have pushed the Lakers to maximize this current championship window. However, one would also imagine James would make that announcement before the campaign starts to allow the league an opportunity to celebrate him before his playing days are no more.
It is more than fair to speculate and joke about when a 40-year-old superstar is going to finally hang up the basketball shoes. The fact that the superstar label can still be attached to that statement ensures that LeBron does not need to rush that decision.