Lakers' LeBron James on Retirement: 'The Game Will Let Me Know When It's Time'

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James addressed the subject of retirement Monday and when he intends to step away from the game of basketball. 

While speaking with the media after L.A.'s 119-112 overtime win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, James insisted he had no set timeline in mind with regard to retirement (beginning at the 7-minute mark):

"I don't know how long I'm going to play the game. I don't know how much more I'll be able to give to the game. The way I feel right now, we'll see what happens. But I have no timetable on it. I have no year of, 'OK, do I want to play until 30-this or 40-that?' The game will let me know when it's time, and we'll figure it out then."

Even at the age of 36, LeBron continues to play as well as ever, leading the Lakers to a championship last season and establishing himself as a leading MVP candidate this season with 25.6 points, 8.0 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game.

The question about retirement was framed around quarterback Tom Brady leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV at the age of 43.

James was complimentary of Brady but suggested it would have no bearing on his own retirement decision: "I've been watching him for quite a while now, and just to see him go out and do the things that he's done in his career, for him to win another one yesterday in the fashion that he won, it was pretty cool. It was very inspiring for a guy like myself. But two different sports, two different positions."

LeBron is significantly younger than Brady, but as James said, basketball and football are two different sports, and they take a different type of toll on the body.

What Brady is doing in the sport of football is unheard of given the physical nature of the game, although a big reason he continues to play at such a high level is the fact that his offensive line protected him well in 2020 and kept him from absorbing too many hits.

The NBA is perhaps more physically demanding on a day-to-day basis, as the schedule is much longer and games are packed together much tighter. Because of that, load management will become a greater consideration the longer James continues to play.

For now, James seems to be as physically fit as anyone in the NBA regardless of age, which is a big reason why he is able to handle the rigors of the NBA season without much of an issue.

The Lakers and Miami Heat experienced the shortest offseason in history out of any of the four major North American sports, but LeBron has seemingly not been impacted, as he has the Lakers off to a 19-6 start, which is good for second in the Western Conference.

Both James and Brady have dedicated themselves to their respective crafts to a degree few have ever reached, and it bears itself out on the court and on the field more often than not.

Brady has already announced that he is coming back for his age-44 season in 2021, and based on how well LeBron continues to play, it is unlikely that retirement is even on the radar for him yet.