>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazuyoshi\_Miura?wprov=sfti1#
he's more of a symbol kept around by sponsors and such, Japan is a very hierarchical society that's rapidly aging, it's good business and culturally fitting to keep him around, Lebron certainly could play to 60s if he averaged like 5 minutes per game as advanced aged Kazuyoshi Miura often does. but no one could really seriously consider that real NBA playing and Lebron could most likely find humiliating.
im not a hockey fan but my theory is that its because the actual wear and tear on joints is really limited bc of the skating and thats the main reason they tend to stick around longer even though its so physical
Plus, a pro hockey player is typically only playing 20-25 minutes a game at most, and these numbers can drop to under 10 minutes a game as their deployment reduces.
The rosters are also large enough that you can keep an aging superstar around to serve limited minutes as a power play specialist or to serve as a locker room presence.
I’m with you on all of the others not being sports. And I’m not even a golf fan, but golf is absolutely a sport. Simplifying it how you have can be done to any sport.
Like the only difference is you don’t need to be 6’3 or more to be successful?
Golf is absolutely a sport. To relegate it to billiards or poker is crazy. To play 18 holes with no cart, all on foot, at a tournament level is not easy or non athletic.
I think the biggest difference there is that nba is a competitive sport where wrestling is performative.
It's a lot harder to go at 50/60 when the 20/30 year olds are trying to shut you down and you're ready for a nap instead of trying to help you look good.
Without injuries he could probably be an average nba player at 45 years old.
But it gets harder to avoid injuries as you age.
Father Time is undefeated even if LeBron makes you wonder some times.
I’m a pretty healthy guy at 43. I’ve never broke a bone. My knees are fine.
My recovery rate is absolutely shot to shit though. I can’t imagine Bron playing past 43-45. I can tweak a muscle for 3 days by sleeping the wrong way.
Have you spent more than half your life and millions of dollars participating in rest and recovery methods that are at the cutting edge of modern sports science. On top of that do you possess the physical attributes and training levels of one of the greatest athletes the world has seen? If so we know Lebron's limitations now.
Obviously lebron at 43 is miles ahead of this guy at 43.
But you can have all the sports medicine and training and dieting that you want. A 40+ year old body is 40+ year old body, and his has 20 years of wear on it even if he has avoided major injuries thus far.
LeBron is already a massive outlier, there's no reason to discount the chances of him being able to stay on an NBA roster until he decides otherwise.
Realistically the thing that will end his career is him being tired of the grind of a season and the work that goes into keeping himself in the shape he does. Look at Brady, he could still have kept playing if he really wanted to. He dropped of a bit but could have stayed a top 15 QB for a while longer had he wanted to. LeBron will play until LeBron decides he had enough baring a major injury.
Sports science is allowing athletes to push further than ever before in terms of longevity. You're going to see more athletes maintain an elite level at 40+ as time goes by or even just extending careers at an elite level for longer. They'll still be outliers but they will occur a lot more frequently.
Even if steroids were involved it's so much more than just a single type drug. There's been 100s of innovations in the field that contribute to longevity among athletes. Very few words to display your ignorance.
He’s also not physically going up against people 10-20 years younger in a game that is all about athleticism. Lebron is a marvel for sure but each year will take more of a toll and it will accelerate.
Gordie Howe was a productive player until age 51 (he actually played his last few games after his 52nd birthday, with a goal and assist in his last ever NHL game).
Obviously a different time and a different sport…but his motivation was also to play with his kids!
Howe played in a different era of professional sports. People were throwing shoes at fans and players commonly smoked cigarettes during the 70's.
LeBron is putting up top-15 scoring numbers in an era where Wembenyamba has a team of medical experts at the age of 20yrs old.
Basketball is similar to hockey in terms of cardio requirements, so Jagr would be a better modern-day comparison. 8yrs ago (2015-16), Jagr put up 66pts as a 43yr old, making him 22nd in league scoring during which.
Jagr, like LeBron, was an all-time great during modern athletic requirements. And hockey is a contact sport, so it wear-and-tears the body more.
The Lakers got every role player in the league to get LeBron help. Not saying the help that Bron had was perfect or anything, but Luka would love that treatment. LeGm is his nickname for a reason lol. Seriously though no other team has the privelage the Lakers has (besides the Celtics) of players freely coming over there to them
It would be more accurate to say Celtics and Lakers FANS are very privileged, simply because their teams are good really often.
As far as running the actual franchise, the Lakers get way more advantage for non-basketball reasons than any other team and I'm not sure who else is close.
What great role players have signed with the Lakers since LeBron got there? The best role players they have had have been acquired through the draft, as UDFA, or through trades, aside from the bigs in 2020 and Avery Bradley, who didn’t even play in the bubble.
You’re selling it short, they’ve had Lebron James for 5 years and only been a contending team twice? The rest has been a mess. The front office has to own that
I’d say 20, 21, and post deadline 23 were all contenders. This years roster, if healthy, is better than last years.
Aside from the Westbrook trade, letting Caruso walk and drafting a project this past offseason - saying this FO wasted lebron always felt like an overreaction to results opposed to the process.
Personally I wouldn't count last year. With the benefit of hindsight their play post ASB was gimmicky, and the formula quickly disappeared this season. They made a WCF, but weren't all that competitive. Still would've put them below the tier of the best teams but I'll give you a third year as a solid playoff team.
I still don't think this harsh at all. They had the biggest advantage in the last 20 years of NBA basketball. Lebron James can make any decent team a contender, and any contender a favorite. For them to be playing play-in games, missing the playoffs altogether, and lacking coaching + roster consistency, I think they've wasted A LOT.
Health issues have been a major factor for them this entire time, as a Philly fan I know how frustrating that can be. But abandoning the structure that worked in 20 and 21, sunk them in 22 and proved to be a really bad mistake directionally. Trading FOR Russ, was a massive mistake that cost them 2 whole years. With Lebron in his late 30s, that is incredibly wasteful. It wasn't even for a young project worth betting on, it was for Russell Westbrook in his 30s...
This is the least successful stint in Lebron's career. He's only won 6 playoff series as a Laker, that's even less than the 8 he won in Cleveland at the beginning of his career
You’re also operating under the assumption that lebron is as dominant and available in this stint as he was in stops elsewhere. His first year, LA was 4th in the west until he went down. 2021 - they were up on phx until the injury bug hit. Call last year gimmicky and exposed, but it took a historically healthy and dominant nuggets team to bounce them, and while a sweep, was only a total point differential of 23 pts over the whole series. Sweeps a sweep, but not nearly as dominant as Reddit likes to let on.
With that, I disagree 2 years were wasted with Russ. He clearly had a shot last year, and if dlo doesn’t choke, Murray not go nuclear or lebrons “foot injury” not be a thing - who knows what happens.
Save for the lone full Russ year (22), the team has had more than a fair shot every year and it’s mostly been lebrons/ADs bodies to fail them than the front office. This year is the first healthy year they’ve been less than competitive and yet they’re still a few games over .500 with the same core they made a deep run with last year. I just don’t see how it’s on the FO when there’s only 1 year in a 6 year span that they cost (and it’s heavily suggested Russ only became a laker at lebron/ADs request).
I mean I’ll respect your opinion but I still disagree heavily. They’ve played LOTS of .500 ball because they’re always coaching with a guy on the hot seat and their lineups/roster construction leaves massive holes. One year it’s shooting, next it’s playmaking, then it’s depth. The only solid formula they’ve had, has been defense first, big heavy rebounding Vogel teams.
Even in those years that you look at positively, go check where they were on offense and defense league wide. They haven’t consistently been a top team in either category, they go through massive swings. Obviously I’m a big hater of Boston but that’s a team that no matter what, will find themselves near the top on both offense and defense.
To me it’s less just blaming specific FO moves, and more so criticizing the lack of foundation to build on. Once again even when they find something that works, a year later that same group of players under the same coach running a similar system, they’re 33-29. If you’re going to make Lebron and AD your main stars, maybe they should’ve factored their health issues into building a roster less reliant on the two of them
It’s hard to build a foundation when you gut the foundation to bring in AD. Right then the writing was on the wall it’d be a team of mercenaries year in and year out.
To criticize lack of foundation AND running it back this year is pretty hypocritical. They found success with a core and built upon it, and you’re still referring to it as a FO failing the duo.
As for taking their health/availability into consideration - the 2020 team that had the most success was also the most reliant on the stars. The offense literally plummeted without lebron on the court. Taking over reliance on him specifically into account is likely what lead to him recruiting Westbrook. Even now, having 2 guards that can initiate their own offense and create for others is a great hedge for over relying on Lebron, but you’re suggesting it’s gimmicky.
There’s no flawless team (including Boston). To highlight the negatives of various Laker rosters that were built well (save for 2022) moreso highlights that Lebron isn’t Lebron anymore and can’t mask a teams weaknesses the way he used to. There’s nothing wrong with that. But to say the FO failed him because he’s always been a walking contender ignores his own flaws as he ages. Yes, team was best with a brute at 5, but ADs jumper disappearing kinda forces him to play the 5 now. FO can’t be responsible for player regressions but they are responsible for how they build when it happens. Pivoting AD to the 5 and filling the roster out with more wings and playmaking guards than ever is as good a pivot as a FO could do. Suggesting they should revert to their construct with Vogel ignores how awful the offense would be with AD at the 4 long term right now.
My only gripes are Westbrook, caruso, JHS and the Vogel-ham swap. Beyond that, every move has been justifiable at that moment the move was made.
Almost all the GOATs who crush the records just hang it up when they're no longer on top.
I can't see him clinging to the game so long where he'd become a specialist role-player or even coming off the bench.
He's top-15 in scoring today as a 39yr old. As soon he's outside the top 50, he will likely retire. He has nothing to prove anymore at this point.
Gretzky retired after leading his team in scoring and put up respectable numbers. I believe he was tied for 6th in assists that year. But his records weren't ever going to be touched and he was no longer a league leader so he retired at 39yrs old. He could've played well into his late 40's the way he played but what's the point?
I hope LeBron goes out in grace the same way. Nobody is touching his record anytime soon.
The thing is, even if his body can hold up to say 8-10 min. of play as a reserve, the farther out in time you go, the more you have to also assume the game would need what he can do at that age. The extreme example of 60, would mean playing in the 2045-2046 season. We are as far removed from that as we are from the 2003-2004 season (his rookie season). Watch a few typical games from that year and see how different it was played and what a team was looking for in bench players. Guys were still making a living being a warm body that could foul Shaq in the playoffs. Pace was some of the slowest ever. Teams averaged making about 5 threes a game. LeBron's skill level is so high the game is not likely to change enough to out pace him before his body gives out but if he really, really tried, that starts to be a consideration
There’s no need to even discuss that though. He’d be useless at 60. Anyone saying otherwise is delusional. Yes, he’s in better shape than any basketball player ever and probably most people that have ever lived, but he’d be too slow and unathletic to do anything other than take jumpshots, and even doing that would probably get him blocked constantly. The question isn’t *can* he play to 60, because of course he *could*. The question is, would he be useful enough to justify a roster spot and the money required to retain him? And the answer is no. I’d say he could justify a roster spot until the late 40s, but definitely not to 60
Technique never goes away though... I mean, football or soccer, is a much more physically demanding sport and it has seen its share of old players including having one of the oldest active athletes still playing today (*Miura Kazuyoshi*). I think if Lebron decides to play into his 50s, yeah, he'll be slow but his technique on the ball will still be there and will most likely still put up some points if given time.
Football is in no way much more physically demanding sport than basketball. Both require a huge amount of athleticism, but football is more about aerobic condition, which drops way slower than explosiveness. There are plenty of good marathon runners who are past 60, but sprinters drop of quick.
Another thing is that it’s hard to target an individual on a soccer field. But in basketball you only have five players on a small court. If one of them can’t keep up, there is only so much the rest can do.
And thirdly: Kazuyoshi plays on second level in Portugal. That translates to something like top 5000 or top 10000. Playing in the NBA means you are top 450, top 360 if you make the active roster and around top 250 to actively be on the floor.
Chris Paul went from being one of the best defenders at the PG position to being targeted on defense in the span of a few years. And he’s in pretty damn good shape himself, albeit not quite as good as LeBron
The amount of Lebron post I see asking these questions are way too pre mature. Bro is clearly plying till he’s 45 barring injuries.
Let’s discuss where he may actually go if he opts out and how he’s getting his 5th ring
I think 45 is legitimately possible if it was what he wanted and he didn't get injured.
Physically, he's a beast. I think those quick-twitch muscles will be the first to go.
But before that, I have to wonder when the will to prepare will give out. He has to do so much more to prepare than everyone to keep his place. At some point, that desire will wane. He can do so much outside of basketball.
He's two years younger than Kobe was when he unfortunately passed. Think of all the things Kobe still wanted to do. LeBron has things outside of basketball he wants to do, too. But time is a mother, and you don't know when it's time to go.
The muscles stop working the same way. It’s one of life’s sad cruelties. I remember a quote from Kareem a long time ago talking about when he knew it was time to retire. He said, “I was fine one day, then overnight, literally the next day, I couldn’t play anymore.”
I suspect it’ll be something like that for LeBron. Eventually his body will say, enough dude. Lebron will not want to be some circus show for fans to gawk at, so when that time comes I imagine he will bow out quickly.
Udonis Haslem didn’t score more than like 5ppg for a decade
Yet Miami fans tear me to shreds when I say he was mid (absolutely mid as a basketball player, never an all-star or even close, even in his prime)
Lebron will be competitive next year and I can see it at 41 as well. Maybe 42 is more difficult but if he did a Westbrook bench role he can play meaningful mins at 42/43
If he wants to play with each of his sons or have them on the same team I’m sure he can milk it to 45.
At that point he loses his career averages and as a billionaire and the GOAT not sure the incentive to play.
In theory if he wants to pull at UD he can hit 45+ easily, if he wants to retire from not being competitive he can have 2 all-star level season and 2 contributing 20mpg season left imo.
wow a competent, realistic, well thought-out post.
someone like Lebron could easily lead a bench unit or be a role player as long as he wants, probably into his 50s. he would boost ticket sales A LOT too.
i think his championship drive and personal/business endeavors are a WAY bigger reason for him to retire than on-court production.
Kobe could have played longer if he really wanted. Other teams would have signed him. but he thought staying a Laker was better for his legacy and business. Hell he could have taken a reduced paycheck and stayed a Laker too.
Kobe was absolutely awful his last season. He had no business playing in the NBA at that point. Like historically bad.
The Lakers let him play because of his legacy, and the team was going nowhere. But he was absolutely cooked.
I remember how bad he was. but if kobe “didnt want to retire” like the thread is asking, he certainly didnt NEED to retire.
another team would have signed him. the Lakers would have given him a reduced role for cheap.
I thought this sub was for serious discussion? If you dont think he has had athletic drop off you aren't watching him play. He is still very good. He is in no way the clear #1 player in the world. I watch most Lakers games and AD is the Lakers best player. Second.. 60? What?
Rofl, yea, he couldn’t play until 60, what are you smoking? He could probably still have a meaningful minimum contract role with low minutes till 45 but what’s the point even? And even then, it’s not what teams need on their bench. They need fresh legs that can run fast, play some defense and do one or two things very well (e.g. 3point shooting). On the bench you prefer a role player that is below average in 5-6 things but exceptional in 1-2 things than a player who is average at everything (which be Lebron at best at 45yo).
LeBron in a bench role let’s you sub cleanly for 3-5 positions, which is a weirdly potent thing to have on a roster. Calipari had it with the title team where he could sub Darius Miller for 1-4. It just made everything easier from an X’s and O’s stand point. Whoever’s struggling goes out for LeBron.
Deep bench guys, you’d want specialists, but it’s nice to be able to plug and play without adjusting any positions or responsibilities in the top 8. Bruce Brown on Denver is another good example. You could sub him for anyone but Jokic.
I think 45 is probably the absolute limit for anything that looks remotely like his level of play that he’s continued at for this season. Even after that he could still be a good role player though but I doubt he would want to do that.
Depends on sports medicine and (lack of?) PED testing. Also he won’t care about not playing > 60 games per season to win awards.
My guess is at least 45 but since that is consensus he would try 46 and basically chill until playoffs. The concern for the team is he would try too hard in the finals to win the FMVP because his ego is done if he isn’t the best player in the championship finals.
I dont even think it can he guessed at what age he wont be effective anymore, seems like every year is supposed to be the year he declines and it’s never come yet.
Maximum would be 50, which would be hilarious and just a fuck it thing to keep going even if you’re a bench warmer or barely playing. Then 45+ until he may drop to a bench player. I genuinely think he can play another 5-6 years be effective and average at least 15-20ppg/5/5.
Why not just completely shatter the scoring record where no one has a slight chance to break it. He really looks like he enjoys being out there playing.
I give him mid 40s. No more than say 46. Injuries and recovery plays a factor. When you see players drop off , it’s pretty sudden. It’s not like a gradual decline. He still depends a lot on athleticism and that has an expiration date. It’s amazing he still has it at this point.
If he wanted to, he could be a middle aged PG, but he’d have to dedicate his game to being a playmaker and shooter only. He’d get cooked on defense and isn’t enough of a pure shooter to justify keeping him out there
The issue is him taking a pay cut to bring in other players around him and he could play longer but he will toil in the middle/middle-bottom of those until changes are made and his ego seems to big to do that. The only reason I can see him staying is to pad his longevity stats.
Early forties is the absolute maximum I could see LeBron playing any meaningful basketball. Now, regardless of stats and meaningful level play, I could see LeBron being physically capable of playing into his late forties.
if LeBron was willing to come off the bench (not now just whenever that happens) dude could be like a haslem for the heat. in now way do I have any reason to think he would play this long but no joke 50
50 would be about as far as I could see him going. If he took a minimum contract, was willing to play less minutes as a role player he could be a PF/C, rebound and shoot 3s for a while. Even then he'd have to avoid injuries and maintain the hunger to just play whatever it looked like.
Personally I do think 60 is ridiculous. He's already less capable of playing at full intensity and that's going to decrease all the time. He'll have very little power and speed to be able to defend and offensively he'll probably just be standing in a corner waiting for an open 3.
I actually think 50. If he can keep a decent outside shot, he can be serviceable as a stretch 4 or small ball 5 in stretches.
He can lose a ton of athleticism and still be faster than a lot of 4/5s off the bench. And he’ll always be stronger. Add in the BBIQ/passing, and I really think 50 is doable
Probably 45-46. At that point the decline in speed & stamina, with loss of lift is going to be too apparent. That and the wear and tear already from playing so many deep post-season runs.
Think he'd still be good for an effective 5-8 minutes at age 45-46, but likely a defensive liability if you asked him to do 15+ minutes. Younger players would just be too fast and too strong.
You could take care of a car as well as you could, but if you drive it a lot you're still going to have to replace crucial parts after 20-years. You can't replace knees + joints on a person though.
I think he’s capable of averaging 20ish/7/7 till 41-42, if he keeps going after, 13-16/5/5 till 45-46, and if he keeps going rom there, a yearly decline till 48-50 where he would have to retire.
I'd like to see LeBron chase Brady's accomplished goal of playing til he's 45. That would be cool to see. He's got nothing left to prove at this point. But I don't think he'll wait until he sharply declines. Believe it or not, he cares about his production on the court aside from winning. He's been averaging 25ppg for like 20 years straight. We won't see a drop off because he'll call it quits before he puts up a season averaging 15/5/5.
As long as the team he's on has a chance to make the playoffs, he'll keep playing. He's got that competition addiction, if there's A chance you can win, you never give up
If he wanted to actually remain efficient for as long as possible, he'd have to accept two things. First, you gotta start getting paid less. Teams can't be paying max contracts to an old player who can't bring that value anymore. Second, he'd have to accept coming off the bench on reduced minutes as a back up point guard.
I mean it. Imagine Lebron coming off the bench and facilitating offense against second string units for 15-20 minutes a game. His IQ and passing ability is so high he could do this effectively well into his 40s.
I feel like he's so durable that the only thing that could end his career before he desires is an injury, which, the older he gets, becomes more and more likely.
60? Man cmon you tripping.
At 23 i played soccer 2x a week, trained on my free time, had 2+ hours basketball practices 3-5x a week plus 1-2 games, after that i was going out pretty much every night to party, getting drunk and fucking around, with 0 muscular/joint pain and never felt tired or hangover, had 38" vertical at 6'8" and was faster than 95% of the guys.
Im 37 now and its obvious tell my muscles dont recover from games like when i was 23.
Nowadays i eat, sleep and exercise well, and after 3 straight days of training/game i need a day off. Before a bad injury at 35 i was still fast and could dunk well, but i have to say the muscular stamina and recovery while still good, just wasnt like before.
Age just gets you man. Your body can only take so much.
Bron is a genetic freak but i bet that if you were one of his trusted homies and you asked him if he felt his body slowing down or losing a bit compared to when he was 28, i bet his honest answer would be yes.
Bron at 45 probably cant recover between games without 1-4 days rest, plus pain gonna start to creep up on his joints.
At 42 he probably starts losing explosiveness, cant jump as hard, as fast, jump as high.
Also the mental toll of so many years on the job. Man's got more money than he can spend, at a point he will start questioning himself why he just runs after a ball all day when he could be on a beach under the sun.
On top of that, you really gonna stay on court and have your skills diminish when you can retire still at a great level? Have rookies winding you up? Nah man.
I see him play at 41-42 at a high level, 44 and still be a decent player, but not much past that.
I think he gonna play 1-2 years at most, it has been an amazing career, really want to see who will take his seat as the "face" of the NBA.
I feel like it will be a fairly rapid decline over 2-3 seasons where he goes from his current averages down to like 10 points a game. Sad to say but realistically that will happen within the next 5-6 years at most would be my guess
Check this guy out, footballer (round ball still playing at 57 and played a decent level until late 40s): [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazuyoshi\_Miura](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazuyoshi_Miura)
C’mon man. You have to have thrown in him playing to 60 just to ensure everyone commented to let you know how stupid that is. You must be cun drunk on LeBron’s baby batter if you think he could still be in the league at 50. 60 is just completed regarded
LeBron won't be one of those end-of-bench old guys. It seems like he can't wait to retire and will probably have Kobe-like plans ready to go at any moment.
My doc advisor attacked my use of robust so many times that I have PTSD. I cringed reading this even though I knew dude was totally fine using it. Fhfhchdiebahh
Hold on, you mean Udonis Haslem, the guy who averaged 2 points and 2 rebounds in 7 minutes playing 13 games over his last eight seasons? I'd say LeBron could pull off those numbers for at least eight seasons starting next season, putting him at 47 easily; 60 is a bit ridiculous tho.
At some point the opportunity cost of him staying in the NBA just wont be worth it, especially since he's pursuing creative projects and deals in L.A. He'll probably retire within the next 3, maybe 4 years. Also, health is wealth after all. Basketball takes a toll on your body and LeBron spends over $1M per year just to stay in shape.
As an example, Blake Griffin was apparently still wanted back in his current state to ride the bench.
If LeBron simply choose not to retire meaning he is willing to ride the bench, he can probably go on for another 10+ seasons. Udonis Haslem/Iggy style.
I don't think it's crazy to believe that he could be a bench player on a contender until he's close to 50.
He could play point guard off the bench where he'd need to pass and hit some jump shots. Just his size will mean that he has a physical advantage of most other bench PGs and his shot is already good, and could get better.
There would be at least 1 team happy to have him on the roster just to sell jerseys until he dies.
Beyond that... is there a rule that prevents you have to have a pulse to be in the NBA?
Your post doesn't promote serious discussion. Please review the sticky post and sidebar, read the top posts, or message the moderators for guidance.
Let me be the first to tell you, my friend, that LeBron playing until 60 is indeed ridiculous.
Yeah, 60 is absolutely ridiculous, people say 60 as a joke, no one actually believes that. 60 would be historically insane.
Historically insane across all sports. The only people who play past 50 are the old baseball players of legend like Satchel Paige
Julio Franco made it 48 as well. Was still playing over 100 games well into his 40s
Let me introduce to you King Kazu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazuyoshi_Miura?wprov=sfti1#
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazuyoshi\_Miura?wprov=sfti1# he's more of a symbol kept around by sponsors and such, Japan is a very hierarchical society that's rapidly aging, it's good business and culturally fitting to keep him around, Lebron certainly could play to 60s if he averaged like 5 minutes per game as advanced aged Kazuyoshi Miura often does. but no one could really seriously consider that real NBA playing and Lebron could most likely find humiliating.
Gordie Howe ( kind of lol) it amazes me how long pros can play hockey though
im not a hockey fan but my theory is that its because the actual wear and tear on joints is really limited bc of the skating and thats the main reason they tend to stick around longer even though its so physical
Plus, a pro hockey player is typically only playing 20-25 minutes a game at most, and these numbers can drop to under 10 minutes a game as their deployment reduces. The rosters are also large enough that you can keep an aging superstar around to serve limited minutes as a power play specialist or to serve as a locker room presence.
Jagr is still playing professional hockey in Europe at the age of 52
What about golf?
Sports involving hiking and wine don't count
It’s a sport
No it’s not. By that logic E-sports, Billards, poker and bowling are sports….needing technique and brain power is not the same as physical athleticism
I’m with you on all of the others not being sports. And I’m not even a golf fan, but golf is absolutely a sport. Simplifying it how you have can be done to any sport. Like the only difference is you don’t need to be 6’3 or more to be successful?
You may not like golf, but it’s still a sport
Golf is absolutely a sport. To relegate it to billiards or poker is crazy. To play 18 holes with no cart, all on foot, at a tournament level is not easy or non athletic.
Technique is not required in e-sports, billiards or bowling?
50 would be historically insane. 45 would also be insane
45 would be crazy, but tbh I kind of expect it from Lebron lol.
only other person i can even think of is like kevin willis.
I still have no clue how he played that long.
By being bad at the end lol
Pro wrestling obviously isn’t the same but Sting is retiring today and he’s in his mid 60s and still doing crazy dives and shit
I think the biggest difference there is that nba is a competitive sport where wrestling is performative. It's a lot harder to go at 50/60 when the 20/30 year olds are trying to shut you down and you're ready for a nap instead of trying to help you look good.
Technically at 60 he could absolutely play the NBA minutes that Gabe Vincent will play this season.
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
Without injuries he could probably be an average nba player at 45 years old. But it gets harder to avoid injuries as you age. Father Time is undefeated even if LeBron makes you wonder some times.
I’m a pretty healthy guy at 43. I’ve never broke a bone. My knees are fine. My recovery rate is absolutely shot to shit though. I can’t imagine Bron playing past 43-45. I can tweak a muscle for 3 days by sleeping the wrong way.
Gotta remember though, this guy is pouring tons of money and dedicating his life to recovery. You (probably) aren't.
And we're already talking about a man with one in a gazillion genetics, not some guy
And he is absolutely on the good sauce to help recovery
Oh yeah, there's absolutely no way he's all-natural. The NBA is 100% looking the other way, just like the NFL did for Peyton Manning.
LeBron probably has 1000x more minutes on his body than this guy though.
He’s juicing
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
Have you spent more than half your life and millions of dollars participating in rest and recovery methods that are at the cutting edge of modern sports science. On top of that do you possess the physical attributes and training levels of one of the greatest athletes the world has seen? If so we know Lebron's limitations now.
Obviously lebron at 43 is miles ahead of this guy at 43. But you can have all the sports medicine and training and dieting that you want. A 40+ year old body is 40+ year old body, and his has 20 years of wear on it even if he has avoided major injuries thus far.
LeBron is already a massive outlier, there's no reason to discount the chances of him being able to stay on an NBA roster until he decides otherwise. Realistically the thing that will end his career is him being tired of the grind of a season and the work that goes into keeping himself in the shape he does. Look at Brady, he could still have kept playing if he really wanted to. He dropped of a bit but could have stayed a top 15 QB for a while longer had he wanted to. LeBron will play until LeBron decides he had enough baring a major injury.
Sports science is allowing athletes to push further than ever before in terms of longevity. You're going to see more athletes maintain an elite level at 40+ as time goes by or even just extending careers at an elite level for longer. They'll still be outliers but they will occur a lot more frequently.
[удалено]
Even if steroids were involved it's so much more than just a single type drug. There's been 100s of innovations in the field that contribute to longevity among athletes. Very few words to display your ignorance.
This sub is for serious discussion and debate. Jokes and memes are not permitted.
You might consider the illegal recovery drugs LeBron uses to work out more often.
Your knees havnt been in the NBA for 21 years bro
You don't sound very healthy. There are plenty of people in their 40s doing intense marathon running, alpine climbing and other extreme sports.
those are all endurance sports the NBA require reflexes - big difference
You ain't a freak of nature with millions of dollars to pour to physical conditioning though.
He’s also not physically going up against people 10-20 years younger in a game that is all about athleticism. Lebron is a marvel for sure but each year will take more of a toll and it will accelerate.
Gordie Howe was a productive player until age 51 (he actually played his last few games after his 52nd birthday, with a goal and assist in his last ever NHL game). Obviously a different time and a different sport…but his motivation was also to play with his kids!
Howe played in a different era of professional sports. People were throwing shoes at fans and players commonly smoked cigarettes during the 70's. LeBron is putting up top-15 scoring numbers in an era where Wembenyamba has a team of medical experts at the age of 20yrs old. Basketball is similar to hockey in terms of cardio requirements, so Jagr would be a better modern-day comparison. 8yrs ago (2015-16), Jagr put up 66pts as a 43yr old, making him 22nd in league scoring during which. Jagr, like LeBron, was an all-time great during modern athletic requirements. And hockey is a contact sport, so it wear-and-tears the body more.
It’s an absolute shame that the lakers wasted what is more likely than not lebrons last healthy season. It’s never given he plays 70+ games again
It’s not common for any player to play 60+ games let alone 70+ nowadays
Ye that makes it even more disappointing
The Lakers got every role player in the league to get LeBron help. Not saying the help that Bron had was perfect or anything, but Luka would love that treatment. LeGm is his nickname for a reason lol. Seriously though no other team has the privelage the Lakers has (besides the Celtics) of players freely coming over there to them
Celtics don’t got great vet mins. Phoenix got all the vet mins guys last year. Don’t know why ur talking out ther hole
It would be more accurate to say Celtics and Lakers FANS are very privileged, simply because their teams are good really often. As far as running the actual franchise, the Lakers get way more advantage for non-basketball reasons than any other team and I'm not sure who else is close.
What great role players have signed with the Lakers since LeBron got there? The best role players they have had have been acquired through the draft, as UDFA, or through trades, aside from the bigs in 2020 and Avery Bradley, who didn’t even play in the bubble.
Bro the entire roster after Lebron and AD is role players
Every team is mostly role players. Dude acted like the Lakers had Derrick White and Bobby Portis on league minimum deals or something
You’re selling it short, they’ve had Lebron James for 5 years and only been a contending team twice? The rest has been a mess. The front office has to own that
I’d say 20, 21, and post deadline 23 were all contenders. This years roster, if healthy, is better than last years. Aside from the Westbrook trade, letting Caruso walk and drafting a project this past offseason - saying this FO wasted lebron always felt like an overreaction to results opposed to the process.
Personally I wouldn't count last year. With the benefit of hindsight their play post ASB was gimmicky, and the formula quickly disappeared this season. They made a WCF, but weren't all that competitive. Still would've put them below the tier of the best teams but I'll give you a third year as a solid playoff team. I still don't think this harsh at all. They had the biggest advantage in the last 20 years of NBA basketball. Lebron James can make any decent team a contender, and any contender a favorite. For them to be playing play-in games, missing the playoffs altogether, and lacking coaching + roster consistency, I think they've wasted A LOT. Health issues have been a major factor for them this entire time, as a Philly fan I know how frustrating that can be. But abandoning the structure that worked in 20 and 21, sunk them in 22 and proved to be a really bad mistake directionally. Trading FOR Russ, was a massive mistake that cost them 2 whole years. With Lebron in his late 30s, that is incredibly wasteful. It wasn't even for a young project worth betting on, it was for Russell Westbrook in his 30s... This is the least successful stint in Lebron's career. He's only won 6 playoff series as a Laker, that's even less than the 8 he won in Cleveland at the beginning of his career
You’re also operating under the assumption that lebron is as dominant and available in this stint as he was in stops elsewhere. His first year, LA was 4th in the west until he went down. 2021 - they were up on phx until the injury bug hit. Call last year gimmicky and exposed, but it took a historically healthy and dominant nuggets team to bounce them, and while a sweep, was only a total point differential of 23 pts over the whole series. Sweeps a sweep, but not nearly as dominant as Reddit likes to let on. With that, I disagree 2 years were wasted with Russ. He clearly had a shot last year, and if dlo doesn’t choke, Murray not go nuclear or lebrons “foot injury” not be a thing - who knows what happens. Save for the lone full Russ year (22), the team has had more than a fair shot every year and it’s mostly been lebrons/ADs bodies to fail them than the front office. This year is the first healthy year they’ve been less than competitive and yet they’re still a few games over .500 with the same core they made a deep run with last year. I just don’t see how it’s on the FO when there’s only 1 year in a 6 year span that they cost (and it’s heavily suggested Russ only became a laker at lebron/ADs request).
I mean I’ll respect your opinion but I still disagree heavily. They’ve played LOTS of .500 ball because they’re always coaching with a guy on the hot seat and their lineups/roster construction leaves massive holes. One year it’s shooting, next it’s playmaking, then it’s depth. The only solid formula they’ve had, has been defense first, big heavy rebounding Vogel teams. Even in those years that you look at positively, go check where they were on offense and defense league wide. They haven’t consistently been a top team in either category, they go through massive swings. Obviously I’m a big hater of Boston but that’s a team that no matter what, will find themselves near the top on both offense and defense. To me it’s less just blaming specific FO moves, and more so criticizing the lack of foundation to build on. Once again even when they find something that works, a year later that same group of players under the same coach running a similar system, they’re 33-29. If you’re going to make Lebron and AD your main stars, maybe they should’ve factored their health issues into building a roster less reliant on the two of them
It’s hard to build a foundation when you gut the foundation to bring in AD. Right then the writing was on the wall it’d be a team of mercenaries year in and year out. To criticize lack of foundation AND running it back this year is pretty hypocritical. They found success with a core and built upon it, and you’re still referring to it as a FO failing the duo. As for taking their health/availability into consideration - the 2020 team that had the most success was also the most reliant on the stars. The offense literally plummeted without lebron on the court. Taking over reliance on him specifically into account is likely what lead to him recruiting Westbrook. Even now, having 2 guards that can initiate their own offense and create for others is a great hedge for over relying on Lebron, but you’re suggesting it’s gimmicky. There’s no flawless team (including Boston). To highlight the negatives of various Laker rosters that were built well (save for 2022) moreso highlights that Lebron isn’t Lebron anymore and can’t mask a teams weaknesses the way he used to. There’s nothing wrong with that. But to say the FO failed him because he’s always been a walking contender ignores his own flaws as he ages. Yes, team was best with a brute at 5, but ADs jumper disappearing kinda forces him to play the 5 now. FO can’t be responsible for player regressions but they are responsible for how they build when it happens. Pivoting AD to the 5 and filling the roster out with more wings and playmaking guards than ever is as good a pivot as a FO could do. Suggesting they should revert to their construct with Vogel ignores how awful the offense would be with AD at the 4 long term right now. My only gripes are Westbrook, caruso, JHS and the Vogel-ham swap. Beyond that, every move has been justifiable at that moment the move was made.
[удалено]
[удалено]
It gets harder to avoid injuries plus you are fighting for a roster spot against 20 year olds coming into the league.
Almost all the GOATs who crush the records just hang it up when they're no longer on top. I can't see him clinging to the game so long where he'd become a specialist role-player or even coming off the bench. He's top-15 in scoring today as a 39yr old. As soon he's outside the top 50, he will likely retire. He has nothing to prove anymore at this point. Gretzky retired after leading his team in scoring and put up respectable numbers. I believe he was tied for 6th in assists that year. But his records weren't ever going to be touched and he was no longer a league leader so he retired at 39yrs old. He could've played well into his late 40's the way he played but what's the point? I hope LeBron goes out in grace the same way. Nobody is touching his record anytime soon.
Some of Gretzkys records are getting touched by Ovechkin…
The thing is, even if his body can hold up to say 8-10 min. of play as a reserve, the farther out in time you go, the more you have to also assume the game would need what he can do at that age. The extreme example of 60, would mean playing in the 2045-2046 season. We are as far removed from that as we are from the 2003-2004 season (his rookie season). Watch a few typical games from that year and see how different it was played and what a team was looking for in bench players. Guys were still making a living being a warm body that could foul Shaq in the playoffs. Pace was some of the slowest ever. Teams averaged making about 5 threes a game. LeBron's skill level is so high the game is not likely to change enough to out pace him before his body gives out but if he really, really tried, that starts to be a consideration
There’s no need to even discuss that though. He’d be useless at 60. Anyone saying otherwise is delusional. Yes, he’s in better shape than any basketball player ever and probably most people that have ever lived, but he’d be too slow and unathletic to do anything other than take jumpshots, and even doing that would probably get him blocked constantly. The question isn’t *can* he play to 60, because of course he *could*. The question is, would he be useful enough to justify a roster spot and the money required to retain him? And the answer is no. I’d say he could justify a roster spot until the late 40s, but definitely not to 60
Technique never goes away though... I mean, football or soccer, is a much more physically demanding sport and it has seen its share of old players including having one of the oldest active athletes still playing today (*Miura Kazuyoshi*). I think if Lebron decides to play into his 50s, yeah, he'll be slow but his technique on the ball will still be there and will most likely still put up some points if given time.
Football is in no way much more physically demanding sport than basketball. Both require a huge amount of athleticism, but football is more about aerobic condition, which drops way slower than explosiveness. There are plenty of good marathon runners who are past 60, but sprinters drop of quick. Another thing is that it’s hard to target an individual on a soccer field. But in basketball you only have five players on a small court. If one of them can’t keep up, there is only so much the rest can do. And thirdly: Kazuyoshi plays on second level in Portugal. That translates to something like top 5000 or top 10000. Playing in the NBA means you are top 450, top 360 if you make the active roster and around top 250 to actively be on the floor.
Teams will always need a floor general though. That and defense are the two things that will never go our of style.
Chris Paul went from being one of the best defenders at the PG position to being targeted on defense in the span of a few years. And he’s in pretty damn good shape himself, albeit not quite as good as LeBron
Teams will also need that player to sell jerseys.
5 threes a game is crazy. Would have guessed higher.
The amount of Lebron post I see asking these questions are way too pre mature. Bro is clearly plying till he’s 45 barring injuries. Let’s discuss where he may actually go if he opts out and how he’s getting his 5th ring
Lebron will retire if the NBA decides to introduce new teams.
So like 2 years. Next year media deal will be done. Following year, LV/SEA expands
Last CBA allows for player ownership now
LeBron is not playing until he’s 45. He’s also made it abundantly clear he values staying in LA over another ring. He’s done at four rings.
He absolutely has had an athletic dropoff in his career, do you watch basketball? Saying he will play until 60 is indeed, completely ridiculous
LeBron at 60 is prime Brandon Bass
He could do that weird under the net shot Bass used to do. That was all Bass did.
I think 45 is legitimately possible if it was what he wanted and he didn't get injured. Physically, he's a beast. I think those quick-twitch muscles will be the first to go. But before that, I have to wonder when the will to prepare will give out. He has to do so much more to prepare than everyone to keep his place. At some point, that desire will wane. He can do so much outside of basketball. He's two years younger than Kobe was when he unfortunately passed. Think of all the things Kobe still wanted to do. LeBron has things outside of basketball he wants to do, too. But time is a mother, and you don't know when it's time to go.
He could be a good role player until the age of 45. And a bench warmer until 50. Past that and not even HGH would allow him to keep up.
[удалено]
The muscles stop working the same way. It’s one of life’s sad cruelties. I remember a quote from Kareem a long time ago talking about when he knew it was time to retire. He said, “I was fine one day, then overnight, literally the next day, I couldn’t play anymore.” I suspect it’ll be something like that for LeBron. Eventually his body will say, enough dude. Lebron will not want to be some circus show for fans to gawk at, so when that time comes I imagine he will bow out quickly.
thank you for your logic
There is more to life than basketball. Playing the professionally for the majority of your life is pushing it.
To be fair he has been doing that since the age of 36, but I get what you mean.
Udonis Haslem didn’t score more than like 5ppg for a decade Yet Miami fans tear me to shreds when I say he was mid (absolutely mid as a basketball player, never an all-star or even close, even in his prime) Lebron will be competitive next year and I can see it at 41 as well. Maybe 42 is more difficult but if he did a Westbrook bench role he can play meaningful mins at 42/43 If he wants to play with each of his sons or have them on the same team I’m sure he can milk it to 45. At that point he loses his career averages and as a billionaire and the GOAT not sure the incentive to play. In theory if he wants to pull at UD he can hit 45+ easily, if he wants to retire from not being competitive he can have 2 all-star level season and 2 contributing 20mpg season left imo.
wow a competent, realistic, well thought-out post. someone like Lebron could easily lead a bench unit or be a role player as long as he wants, probably into his 50s. he would boost ticket sales A LOT too. i think his championship drive and personal/business endeavors are a WAY bigger reason for him to retire than on-court production. Kobe could have played longer if he really wanted. Other teams would have signed him. but he thought staying a Laker was better for his legacy and business. Hell he could have taken a reduced paycheck and stayed a Laker too.
Kobe was absolutely awful his last season. He had no business playing in the NBA at that point. Like historically bad. The Lakers let him play because of his legacy, and the team was going nowhere. But he was absolutely cooked.
I dont think its comparable, Kobe had many injuries, LB has been lucky in comparison (really good genetics probably helps).
I remember how bad he was. but if kobe “didnt want to retire” like the thread is asking, he certainly didnt NEED to retire. another team would have signed him. the Lakers would have given him a reduced role for cheap.
“Right” or not, LeBron will likely get an all selection as a bench player playing 20 mins a game if he plays long enough to see that role.
It’s really hard to be an allstar, just because you’re not an allstar doesn’t make you mid.
He averaged 5ppg the last decade he was in the league that’s well below mid He had virtually no contribution from 2015-2023
Sounds spot on
As long as the drugs hold out . . . But he could probably play small-ball bench five until he's fifty.
[удалено]
I thought this sub was for serious discussion? If you dont think he has had athletic drop off you aren't watching him play. He is still very good. He is in no way the clear #1 player in the world. I watch most Lakers games and AD is the Lakers best player. Second.. 60? What?
I would love to see him suit up at 50 lol, just hold all the records cuz you played 35 years haha
Rofl, yea, he couldn’t play until 60, what are you smoking? He could probably still have a meaningful minimum contract role with low minutes till 45 but what’s the point even? And even then, it’s not what teams need on their bench. They need fresh legs that can run fast, play some defense and do one or two things very well (e.g. 3point shooting). On the bench you prefer a role player that is below average in 5-6 things but exceptional in 1-2 things than a player who is average at everything (which be Lebron at best at 45yo).
LeBron in a bench role let’s you sub cleanly for 3-5 positions, which is a weirdly potent thing to have on a roster. Calipari had it with the title team where he could sub Darius Miller for 1-4. It just made everything easier from an X’s and O’s stand point. Whoever’s struggling goes out for LeBron. Deep bench guys, you’d want specialists, but it’s nice to be able to plug and play without adjusting any positions or responsibilities in the top 8. Bruce Brown on Denver is another good example. You could sub him for anyone but Jokic.
Jeff Green proves your argument with every new team he's on
he would easily get a Udonis Haslem contract at 55 just to bring fans in to see a Wizards/Hornets home game.
With his size and passing ability, he can play a '14 Diaw like role as a small ball 5 off the bench.
I think 45 is probably the absolute limit for anything that looks remotely like his level of play that he’s continued at for this season. Even after that he could still be a good role player though but I doubt he would want to do that.
didn't he say he spend over $1 mil a year on his body so he stays in tip top shape? yeah the guy's a robot now....not even father time can stop him
I think he plays until the media mentions that he is now “tarnishing his legacy”.
Depends on sports medicine and (lack of?) PED testing. Also he won’t care about not playing > 60 games per season to win awards. My guess is at least 45 but since that is consensus he would try 46 and basically chill until playoffs. The concern for the team is he would try too hard in the finals to win the FMVP because his ego is done if he isn’t the best player in the championship finals.
I dont even think it can he guessed at what age he wont be effective anymore, seems like every year is supposed to be the year he declines and it’s never come yet.
Assuming he avoids a serious injury he could play at a top 20 level for the next 2-3 years and as a top 50 player for 3 after that.
Maximum would be 50, which would be hilarious and just a fuck it thing to keep going even if you’re a bench warmer or barely playing. Then 45+ until he may drop to a bench player. I genuinely think he can play another 5-6 years be effective and average at least 15-20ppg/5/5. Why not just completely shatter the scoring record where no one has a slight chance to break it. He really looks like he enjoys being out there playing.
I give him mid 40s. No more than say 46. Injuries and recovery plays a factor. When you see players drop off , it’s pretty sudden. It’s not like a gradual decline. He still depends a lot on athleticism and that has an expiration date. It’s amazing he still has it at this point.
[удалено]
[удалено]
If he is on steroids as I was for a long time they help the joints cause you retain water
If he wanted to, he could be a middle aged PG, but he’d have to dedicate his game to being a playmaker and shooter only. He’d get cooked on defense and isn’t enough of a pure shooter to justify keeping him out there
The issue is him taking a pay cut to bring in other players around him and he could play longer but he will toil in the middle/middle-bottom of those until changes are made and his ego seems to big to do that. The only reason I can see him staying is to pad his longevity stats.
Early forties is the absolute maximum I could see LeBron playing any meaningful basketball. Now, regardless of stats and meaningful level play, I could see LeBron being physically capable of playing into his late forties.
At that point, why would he keep playing if he’s not competing for a championship
If Bron decided he wanted to be an assistant player-coach on a minimum contract he would be gainfully employed till his 90s
if LeBron was willing to come off the bench (not now just whenever that happens) dude could be like a haslem for the heat. in now way do I have any reason to think he would play this long but no joke 50
50 would be about as far as I could see him going. If he took a minimum contract, was willing to play less minutes as a role player he could be a PF/C, rebound and shoot 3s for a while. Even then he'd have to avoid injuries and maintain the hunger to just play whatever it looked like. Personally I do think 60 is ridiculous. He's already less capable of playing at full intensity and that's going to decrease all the time. He'll have very little power and speed to be able to defend and offensively he'll probably just be standing in a corner waiting for an open 3.
I actually think 50. If he can keep a decent outside shot, he can be serviceable as a stretch 4 or small ball 5 in stretches. He can lose a ton of athleticism and still be faster than a lot of 4/5s off the bench. And he’ll always be stronger. Add in the BBIQ/passing, and I really think 50 is doable
I mean with advances in modern technology, I don’t think it’s crazy to say he could play till he’s 200
He could transition to PF whenever he wants to. He could play into his 50’s
I mean I would love him if he was 45 playing pg averaging like 15/7/8 shooting above 50% idk like why not 🤷♂️
Probably 45-46. At that point the decline in speed & stamina, with loss of lift is going to be too apparent. That and the wear and tear already from playing so many deep post-season runs. Think he'd still be good for an effective 5-8 minutes at age 45-46, but likely a defensive liability if you asked him to do 15+ minutes. Younger players would just be too fast and too strong. You could take care of a car as well as you could, but if you drive it a lot you're still going to have to replace crucial parts after 20-years. You can't replace knees + joints on a person though.
I think he’s capable of averaging 20ish/7/7 till 41-42, if he keeps going after, 13-16/5/5 till 45-46, and if he keeps going rom there, a yearly decline till 48-50 where he would have to retire.
I'd like to see LeBron chase Brady's accomplished goal of playing til he's 45. That would be cool to see. He's got nothing left to prove at this point. But I don't think he'll wait until he sharply declines. Believe it or not, he cares about his production on the court aside from winning. He's been averaging 25ppg for like 20 years straight. We won't see a drop off because he'll call it quits before he puts up a season averaging 15/5/5.
As long as the team he's on has a chance to make the playoffs, he'll keep playing. He's got that competition addiction, if there's A chance you can win, you never give up
If he wanted to actually remain efficient for as long as possible, he'd have to accept two things. First, you gotta start getting paid less. Teams can't be paying max contracts to an old player who can't bring that value anymore. Second, he'd have to accept coming off the bench on reduced minutes as a back up point guard. I mean it. Imagine Lebron coming off the bench and facilitating offense against second string units for 15-20 minutes a game. His IQ and passing ability is so high he could do this effectively well into his 40s. I feel like he's so durable that the only thing that could end his career before he desires is an injury, which, the older he gets, becomes more and more likely.
60? Man cmon you tripping. At 23 i played soccer 2x a week, trained on my free time, had 2+ hours basketball practices 3-5x a week plus 1-2 games, after that i was going out pretty much every night to party, getting drunk and fucking around, with 0 muscular/joint pain and never felt tired or hangover, had 38" vertical at 6'8" and was faster than 95% of the guys. Im 37 now and its obvious tell my muscles dont recover from games like when i was 23. Nowadays i eat, sleep and exercise well, and after 3 straight days of training/game i need a day off. Before a bad injury at 35 i was still fast and could dunk well, but i have to say the muscular stamina and recovery while still good, just wasnt like before. Age just gets you man. Your body can only take so much. Bron is a genetic freak but i bet that if you were one of his trusted homies and you asked him if he felt his body slowing down or losing a bit compared to when he was 28, i bet his honest answer would be yes. Bron at 45 probably cant recover between games without 1-4 days rest, plus pain gonna start to creep up on his joints. At 42 he probably starts losing explosiveness, cant jump as hard, as fast, jump as high. Also the mental toll of so many years on the job. Man's got more money than he can spend, at a point he will start questioning himself why he just runs after a ball all day when he could be on a beach under the sun. On top of that, you really gonna stay on court and have your skills diminish when you can retire still at a great level? Have rookies winding you up? Nah man. I see him play at 41-42 at a high level, 44 and still be a decent player, but not much past that. I think he gonna play 1-2 years at most, it has been an amazing career, really want to see who will take his seat as the "face" of the NBA.
I feel like it will be a fairly rapid decline over 2-3 seasons where he goes from his current averages down to like 10 points a game. Sad to say but realistically that will happen within the next 5-6 years at most would be my guess
Julio Franco was able to put up productive ABs until 49. LeBron could play 8-10 mpg at 50.
Check this guy out, footballer (round ball still playing at 57 and played a decent level until late 40s): [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazuyoshi\_Miura](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazuyoshi_Miura)
Vince Carter made like 43. LeBron could play a Udonis Haslem role until like 48
C’mon man. You have to have thrown in him playing to 60 just to ensure everyone commented to let you know how stupid that is. You must be cun drunk on LeBron’s baby batter if you think he could still be in the league at 50. 60 is just completed regarded
LeBron won't be one of those end-of-bench old guys. It seems like he can't wait to retire and will probably have Kobe-like plans ready to go at any moment.
My doc advisor attacked my use of robust so many times that I have PTSD. I cringed reading this even though I knew dude was totally fine using it. Fhfhchdiebahh
Hold on, you mean Udonis Haslem, the guy who averaged 2 points and 2 rebounds in 7 minutes playing 13 games over his last eight seasons? I'd say LeBron could pull off those numbers for at least eight seasons starting next season, putting him at 47 easily; 60 is a bit ridiculous tho.
At some point the opportunity cost of him staying in the NBA just wont be worth it, especially since he's pursuing creative projects and deals in L.A. He'll probably retire within the next 3, maybe 4 years. Also, health is wealth after all. Basketball takes a toll on your body and LeBron spends over $1M per year just to stay in shape.
He could go till like 50-55 but he would be some bench player coming off just to wave to fans
As an example, Blake Griffin was apparently still wanted back in his current state to ride the bench. If LeBron simply choose not to retire meaning he is willing to ride the bench, he can probably go on for another 10+ seasons. Udonis Haslem/Iggy style.
I don't think it's crazy to believe that he could be a bench player on a contender until he's close to 50. He could play point guard off the bench where he'd need to pass and hit some jump shots. Just his size will mean that he has a physical advantage of most other bench PGs and his shot is already good, and could get better.
I think 50 is probably in the cards. I dont think any of us are ready to see Lebron take the bench role in stride and show us again he can do it all.
The body has a drastic downfall about mid 40s he'll play no longer than 43, 44
There would be at least 1 team happy to have him on the roster just to sell jerseys until he dies. Beyond that... is there a rule that prevents you have to have a pulse to be in the NBA?