Charles Barkley is Hopeful That NBA Star Retires Soon

In a recent interview, Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley made it clear he wants to see Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James retire sooner rather than later.

“I hope he retires while he can still play,” Barkley said. “I saw Michael Jordan [play] with the [Washington] Wizards and it was not pretty. I saw Patrick Ewing with the Orlando Magic. I would love to see [LeBron James] retire sooner rather than later…because it ends badly when you keep on playing.”

James’ 21st season in the NBA came to an end after the Lakers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Despite James approaching his 40th birthday in December, the four-time MVP has shown no signs of slowing down. Last season, he appeared in 71 games. This was the most amount of games he played in a season since 2017-18. In those games, he averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game. Furthermore, James shot a career-high 41% from beyond the arc.

Recently, Rich Paul, James’ agent, said he thinks the future Hall of Famer has “two or three years left in the tank.”

“He’s had an unbelievable career,” Paul continues. “I think we do see him next year. The ‘how many more’ after that, I do not know. But I think he got maybe two or three years left in the tank. Maybe, you know.”

James has a player option for next season. Currently, nothing is official yet. However, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes the Akron native will opt out but remain with the team regardless.

“I don’t think LeBron James is gonna retire & I do think he’s gonna play at least one more season.. I really don’t see him leaving the Lakers.. I think he will opt out of his contract though because I think Bronny is entering the draft”

Charles Barkley is Hopeful That NBA Star Retires Soon

LeBron James Doesn’t “Have Much Time Left”

In March, James talked about how much longer he plans on playing in the NBA. “King James” made it clear he will likely retire sooner rather than later.