NEW YORK — LeBron James isn’t sure when he’ll retire — but he knows it’s coming soon.
After scoring 40 points and tying a career high with nine 3-pointers in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 116-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Sunday, James was asked how long he plans to continue playing in the NBA.
“Not much,” James said. “Not much. I’m on the other side, obviously, of the hill. I won’t be playing for another 21 years, that’s for sure. But not much. I don’t know when that door will close as much as when I will retire. But I don’t have much time.”
LeBron James on how long he expects to continue playing in the NBA: “Not long. … I won’t play another 21 years, that’s for sure. But not much. I don’t know when that door will close as much as when I will retire. But I don’t have much time.” pic.twitter.com/OtJzM6cheI
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Less than 30 minutes earlier, the 39-year-old James drew a standing ovation from the pro-Lakers crowd after putting on a fourth-quarter show with 17 points and making all four of his 3-point attempts.
Brooklyn cut Los Angeles’ lead to just eight points, 90-82, with 11:42 left in the game. James responded by making back-to-back 3s and four totals in a span of five minutes to extend the Lakers’ lead to 18 points midway through the fourth.
“It’s unbelievable,” coach Darwin Hamm said. “I told him in the chat before his last stretch and we finally got him to bed. Just very thankful he packed the cape on the road trip. I needed all nine of those 3s.”
In his 21st season, James is inexplicably shooting a career-best 41.6 percent on 3-pointers – one percent higher than his previous career high (40.6 percent in 2012-13 with the Miami Heat). James attributed the career year to being healthier — though he’s technically still battling left ankle peroneal tendinopathy — and being able to get more practice time and shooting reps on his off days.
“My leg felt a lot better,” James said. “I didn’t have a lot of time to really like reps last year because I had to make sure I could be on the floor running around or (not) hitting my foot on the floor too much. I had many opportunities to get on the court. … And just trying to stay consistent with my shot, make the same shot every time. And just work. Just work work work work’.
Anthony Davis, who is in his fifth season with James, said he’s never seen him shoot better than he did against the Nets, considering efficiency (90 percent on 3s), volume ( nine high-yielding chips) and difficulty (James hit a lot of hot, hotly contested shots).
“It’s still amazing,” Davis said of James. “Like I said, the way he shot them, the run to the left corner on the side of the floor, I mean, he gets one-two on it, jumps, fades. I mean, he did everything tonight from the 3-point line. … It was a masterpiece to sit here and watch. It took us apart.”
As for his future with the Lakers and the NBA, James has a $51.4 million player option for next season. He has five realistic options to weigh this summer:
- He picked up his contract for next season with the Lakers.
- Pick up and extend the Lakers for three years and $164 million.
- Opted out and re-signed with the Lakers for three years, $162 million.
- Opt out and sign with another team for up to three years, $157.5 million.
- Withdraw.
Both James and the Lakers would prefer him to retire from the Lakers, according to team and league sources.
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(Photo: Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
