LeBron James‘ greatness can’t continue that long, can it?
Even his son, 17-year-old Bryce James, doesn’t see it happening. On a recent Instagram live, Bryce responded to a Los Angeles Lakers fan who asked if he thinks his dad won’t retire until his youngest son gets drafted.
“I ain’t going to lie, that’s OD,” Bryce said on the show.
OD is slang for “too much.”
“Waiting until I- nah,” Bryce said. “That’s too much. They asked do I think my dad is still going to be in the league when I get drafted? That’s too much. Nah … he’s going to be 42, bruh.”
“Nah … He’s gonna be 42, bruh.”
Bryce James on if he thinks LeBron is going to wait for him to get drafted before retiring 😅
(via _justbryce/IG Live) pic.twitter.com/Gja2wFl4C2
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 29, 2024
The oldest player in NBA history was Nat Hickey, who played in a game just two days before his 46th birthday in the 1947-48 season. In another sport, former NFL quarterback Tom Brady retired at the age of 45. Recently in the NBA, Vince Carter retired at the age of 43 in 2020. Michael Jordan retired at 40 in 2003. LeBron turns 40 on Dec. 30.
When LeBron was entering some of the later seasons of his career, questions began surfacing about when he planned on retiring. LeBron said the only thing left for him to accomplish was to play with or against his eldest son, Bronny, on an NBA court. On June 27, the Lakers selected Bronny in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. Other teams were reportedly interested in Bronny, but agent Rich Paul called them and said if they drafted him, he’d spend the next year playing in Australia.
In his 21st season in the NBA, LeBron averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game.
