LeBron James Acknowledges Thoughts On Retirement As He Celebrates 37th Birthday
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — LeBron James is 37 on Thursday.
The NBA legend, already in his 19th season of play, has continued to dominate opponents despite his slowly increasing age. His continued excellence isn't something he has taken for granted - or something he thinks he can continue with forever.
The King posted a message on his Twitter in the later hours of his birthday, acknowledging everyone who's impacted his career, even the haters.
James acknowledged the fact that he's "over the hill," in an interview on December 28. The full statement:
"I know I'm on the other side of the hill, compared to the hill I was on before. I know that. But, I mean, I've thought about it — where I'm at with it. I'm still playing at such a high level, I haven't given it too much thought. But I'm in Year 19 and I'm not gonna do another 19. So I'm definitely not halfway in my career. I'm on the other side of the hill. So, we'll see where the game takes me. We'll see where my body takes me and my mind. As long as my mind stays fresh and my body stays with that, I can play the game. But, in the end, the game will tell you. Your body will tell you. Your mind will tell you. I've put in enough hours and punched enough clocks where, when that time comes, I'll be OK with it."
It is widely acknowledged that one of LeBron's dreams is to play alongside his son, who will be eligible for NBA play in 2024. The future Hall of Famer, currently in the midst of yet another record-breaking season, doesn't sound like he's ready to slow down anytime soon.
A CBS Sports report showed that he still has a way to go if he wants to break any of the "age-old" records that are currently set in NBA lore, but at just 37 he's still a long way from being the oldest player in league history, a number set at 44 by Kevin Willis.
LeBron isn't even the oldest player in the NBA, or on the Lakers, in 2021, a number held by Udonis Haslem of the Miami Heat, who is 41-years-old. He is in fact the fifth-oldest player in the league, behind Haslem, Joe Johnson (40-years-old), Andre Iguodala (37-years-old, and teammate Carmelo Anthony (37-years-old).
In his 19 years, James has accomplished an incredible amount of achievements, earned an insane amount of accolades and is steadily climbing the ranks of nearly every NBA record. As of his birthday, James' all-time totals sat at 36, 038 points (3rd all-time), 9,858 assists (8th all-time), 9,924 rebounds, 2,104 steals and 1,008 blocks. He is also the all-time leader in turnovers, with 4,678.
He is a four-time NBA Champion, four-time NBA Finals MVP, four-time NBA MVP, 17-time All-Star, 17-time All-NBA team member (13 of which are First Team), six-time All-Defensive team member (five of which are First Team), the 2007-08 Scoring Champion, 2003-04 Rookie of the Year and a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, amongst many, many other accomplishments.
While he may be "over the hill," it's safe to say that LeBron is nowhere near the end of the greatness he's continued to display on the hardwood over the better part of 20 years.
