May 1 (UPI) — LeBron James, who said earlier this season that he could remain elite through age 47, admitted he doesn’t know how long he will continue playing after the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs.
James, 40, made the comments moments after the Minnesota Timberwolves clinched a first-round series triumph with a 103-96 Game 5 win Wednesday in Los Angeles.
The future Hall of Famer has a $52.6 million player option for next season. James must opt into that deal by June 29 or he will become a free agent.
“I don’t know,” James told reporters, when asked how long he plans to play. “I don’t have an answer to that. Something I’ll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens. And just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play.
“I don’t know the answer to that right now, to be honest. So we’ll see.”
James, who became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in 2023, also leads the league in all-time minutes played in the regular season (59,041) and postseason (12,062). The 21-time All-Star, 20-time All-NBA selection, four-time MVP and four-time champion is closing in on other major records.
James ranks fourth all-time in assists (11,584), 507 behind Jason Kidd, who ranks third in NBA history. John Stockton (15,806) and Chris Paul (12,499) top that list.
James would likely pass Kidd if he plays in at least 62 games next season, if he averaged the same amount of assists per game (8.2) as he did in 2024-25.
He would likely need at least seven more seasons to close in on Stockton.
James’ 11,731 rebounds are the 26th in league history. He sits just behind No. 25 Kevin Willis (11,901), No. 24 Dennis Rodman (11,954) and No. 23 Charles Oakley (12,205). He could pass all of those players next season if he averages 7.8 rebounds per game over 60 appearances, like he did in 2024-25.
James would likely need to play four more seasons to climb into the Top 15. He would need to play 10 more seasons to earn a spot in the Top 5.
He ranks sixth all-time in steals (2,345), but would likely need two more seasons to pass Gary Payton (2,445) and climb into the Top 5. He would likely need to play three more seasons to pass No. 4 Michael Jordan (2,514).
James needs to make just two more 3-point shots to pass Reggie Miller (2,560) for sixth on the all-time list. All-time leader Stephen Curry (4,058) is among four active players ahead of James in the Top 5 of that list, which also features James Harden, Ray Allen, Damian Lillard and Klay Thompson.
He would need two more seasons to pass Moses Malone (9,018) for the second-most free throws in history. Karl Malone tops that list, with 9,787. James made 8,649 through his first 22 seasons.
James made more than $528 million in on-the-court salary since joining the league as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. He failed to make the playoffs just four times through the first two-plus decades of his career.
“It’s up to me if I want to continue to play or how long I want to continue to play,” James said. “It’s ultimately up to me, so it has nothing to do with anybody else.”
The Lakers were 28-19 at the time they traded for Luka Doncic on Feb. 1. They went 22-13 over their final 35 regular-season games top capture the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
They proceeded to lose in five games to the Timberwolves, ending their season. James logged 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists in Game 5. Doncic totaled a game-high 28 points, with nine assists and seven rebounds. Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert logged 27 points and 24 rebounds in the victory.
James averaged 25.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game through the first-round series.
Doncic is set to make nearly $46 million next season and has a player option of $48.9 million in 2026-27. Lakers guard Austin Reaves and forward Rui Hachimura also are under contract through next season.
Center Jaxson Hayes is among the Lakers players set to hit free agency.
“It’s a business, so you don’t know what the roster will look like next year, besides the guys that are locked into contracts,” James said. “I got a lot to think about myself. So I don’t know what the roster will look like.
“I don’t know where I stand right now.”
