LeBron James Hints His Retirement Could Come Soon: 'I Don't Have Much Time Left'

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James knows his days of playing in the NBA are numbered.

You wouldn’t be able to tell that from his performance last night against the Brooklyn Nets. He dropped 40 points on 13-17 shooting (and a remarkable 9-10 from deep), grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists in a 116-104 Lakers win.

Even at the age of 39, he’s still making performances like these seem relatively easy. However, he knows that Father Time is coming for him, and that he’ll soon have to stop dominating the league.

After the game, he told reporters that while he doesn’t have a set retirement date in mind, he does know it will come sooner than later.

"Not very long. … I’m not gonna play another 21 years, that’s for damn sure," James said when asked how long he’ll play for. "But not very long. I don’t know when that door will close as far as when I’ll retire. But I don’t have much time left."

LeBron James said that he doesn't have much time left in the NBA. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

In the past, James has said that he wants to play in the NBA with his son, Bronny, who is heading into his sophomore season at USC. There’s no guarantee James would wait for that to happen, but it could suggest that his retirement won’t come before the two share part of their careers in the league.

Regardless, James’ career will come to an end soon. When that day comes, it will mark the end of one of the most dominant runs by any athlete in any given sport.

And it might come sooner than we all expected.