As he heads into his 23rd season in the league, perhaps the biggest question looming over NBA great LeBron James's career is when it will end.
As such, the topic unsurprisingly came up on Monday, when James took the mic to address the press during the Lakers' turn at 2025 Media Days. And one theme stood out across his answers on the matter: LeBron will be (understandably) thinking of himself when he ultimately exits the game for good.
Indeed, the 21-time All-Star is not waiting for the opportunity to play with his youngest son, Bryce, nor will he allow his timeline to be influenced by future Hall of Famer Luka Doncic, who was traded to the Lakers at the deadline last February.
"Zero," James replied when asked how much, if at all, the opportunity to play with Doncic will factor into his decision. "The motivation to be able to play alongside him every night? That's super motivating. That's what I'm gonna train my body for. Every night that I go out there, and try to be the best player I can for him, and we gon' bounce that off one another. But as far as me [referring to] him and some of my other teammates of how far I'll go in my career, no, it would be my decision along with my wife. ... It won't be having a meeting with my teammates."
Watch that below starting at 2:30:
It's a fair answer and surely the one Doncic would expect, too. After all, James is turning 41 this year and will have to give it a rest at some point. Plus, in trading for Luka in February, the Lakers were essentially preparing for James's impending retirement by adding a new star to their starting five, so it shouldn't be a surprise that, in his own words, the end is coming "sooner [rather] than later."
In the meantime, we will most likely see King James take the court once again when the Lakers host the Suns for a preseason contest on Friday at 10 p.m. ET.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as LeBron James Reveals How Luka Doncic Will Factor Into Timing of Retirement.
