Even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver can't imagine the league without Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. He's just not ready for it and he doesn't want to think about it.

Over the 2022 All-Star weekend, one of the biggest talking points was LeBron's future. He welcomed the possibility of returning to Cleveland and opened up about his desire to play his last year in the NBA with his son Bronny James. With that said, a lot of people couldn't help but think about James' looming retirement, especially since the Lakers forward is at the wrong side of his 30s.

For Silver, though, he doesn't want to talk about it until that time comes. Besides, LeBron is still playing at a high level and is averaging 29.1 points per game, which is one of the best in his career. Not to mention that he is singlehandedly carrying the Purple and Gold in their bid to make the playoffs.

“I want to be absolutely clear. I am not prepared to talk about the post-LeBron era,” Silver told Yahoo Sports. “And I don't think it's because I'm in denial. He won a championship less than a year and a half ago. From my standpoint, LeBron is still playing at the very highest level in the league.”

However, Adam Silver acknowledges that LeBron James will inevitably retire at some point in the future. When that happens, he remains confident that someone in the younger generation will step up to become the ambassador of the game and take the torch from the Lakers superstar.

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“At some point, a new player or players will emerge, I think, [to] take that leadership mantle in the league. It seems they always do. I'm just not prepared, even in the slightest, to start thinking about the league without LeBron, because he continues to be as committed as ever to the competition, to the league overall.”

One can understand where Silver is coming from. There's a reason why LeBron continues to draw attention. He is the face of the NBA, and he remains the biggest name in the league. Imagine how the NBA will be without his presence.

Love him or hate him, LeBron is a huge reason why the league is as popular as it is today, not only in the US but globally.

For now, it looks like Silver just wants to enjoy watching LeBron play and dominate. Maybe fans and the rest of the NBA world should do the same.