With 22 years on the court, LeBron James appears to be getting closer to retirement. However, experts like Mike Breen believe that “King” James still has a lot left in the tank and warn that his career could be longer than everyone, even his most ardent fans, expect.
James debuted with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003-2004 season. Since then, the star forward has accumulated two other teams – Heat and Lakers – four championships, four Finals MVPs, four regular season MVPs, and 21 All-Star Game nods, among dozens of other accolades.
With such a long career, even Breen wondered how much more the Lakers forward’s career could last. During Saturday’s game between Los Angeles and the New York Knicks, the veteran commentator wondered if this was James’ last visit to one of his favorite arenas, Madison Square Garden.
Don’t expect James to retire anytime soon
Speaking to The New York Post before the game, Breen admitted that, given James’ age, it was the obvious question. However, the ESPN analyst also warned, “The way he’s going, I think we’ll be having this conversation in 2032 and 2033 as he gets to 47, 48.”
Breen, who did play-by-play commentary for the Lakers vs. Knicks, said it was worth mentioning during the broadcast “because there’s that possibility, but because there’s no definitive retirement date yet for him, thankfully, it can’t be a major focus on the game.”
He recalled that he had already talked about this last week in the broadcast of the game between the Lakers and the Warriors, “But the year he’s having this season at age 40 in his 22nd year in the league is better than the career years of many Hall of Fame players.”
James deserves a farewell tour
Although he hopes James will play for almost another decade, Breen hopes that when the time comes, the NBA star will give enough notice so that the fans can say goodbye to him. “I think fans around the country, even the people who’ve enjoyed booing him over the years, would love to give him a standing ovation.”
In the opinion of the commentator, “He [James] deserves that at every arena he’s played in. The player deserves it and the fans deserve a chance to say thank you, as well.” Until that moment arrives, King James continues to give memorable performances to the joy of his fans and the frustration of his detractors.
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