King James is almost ready to pass the crown.
LeBron James, 40, was asked during Fanatics Fest at the Javits Center on Saturday about his retirement plans.
He just finished his 22nd season in the NBA and was playing against players as young as those born midway through his third season.
“I can’t play that much further,” James said.
Well, duh.
Without a definition of “that much,” James is essentially avoiding the question.
Does he mean one season? Two? Or will he try to push the G.O.A.T. limits and push to 45 like Tom Brady did before retiring?
So, what could push James to retirement?
He joked that freaks like 7-foot-3 Victor Wembanyama – who was sitting near James on the stage – making life difficult could be the impetus for his exodus.
“The more and more time that I play,” James said, “as long as he keeps smacking my f–king shots into the stands, it’s going to make me retire.”
Like Brady, James is still playing at a high level at an age that defies Father Time and does no disservice to the memory of his MVP heyday.
He made the All-NBA Second Team and led the Lakers to 50 wins and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs this past season.
James achieved one career goal that Brady never could. He played alongside his son, Bronny, on the Lakers when Bronny played in 27 games as a rookie.
Wembanyama revealed during Fanatics Fest that he looks to James, Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokic as role models and goes to the three former NBA champions when he has questions.
He had a 45-minute conversation with Jokic during All-Star weekend, according to Sports Illustrated.
James already is the leading scorer in NBA history and one of four players to win championships with three different franchises (Cavaliers, Heat and Lakers).
He has been answering — or dodging — retirement questions for what feels like a decade.
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