LeBron James continues to show why he's the best player in the NBA at 36 years old for the Los Angeles Lakers in his 18th season. While James hasn't shown any signs of slowing down anytime soon, Jeanie Buss spoke to ESPN about the star's long-term outlook on the Lakers.
“It is like a really good match. We want him to stay around as long as he wants to stay around. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played till he was 42. LeBron said something the other day how he probably won’t play when he’s 46. So maybe somewhere between now and 46, so another 10 years, whatever he wants to do.
We love having him, I have to say he drafted a really good All-Star team yesterday. He knows basketball, he’s competitive. We’re having a lot of fun having him around, the one thing that’s missing are the fans.”
Before the 2020-2021 season, following a new contract for Anthony Davis, the Lakers inked James to a two-year extension, keeping him with the franchise through the 2022-2023 season. James gave himself an opportunity to become a free agent in 2023, which is when his son could be beginning his career in the NBA.
Despite the uncertainty on where James will play after his current contract concludes, Buss would love to keep James as long as he remains in the league. Of course, you're not going to tell James what he should do as he's shown in his career that he's going to do whatever he believes is best for himself.
There's a great chance that James is still playing in the NBA at a high level into his 40s, barring an unforeseen change. And if James wants to remain in Los Angeles for the rest of his career, Buss made it clear that the franchise would love to make that reality.
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