How LeBron James' legacy would stack up against other greats if he retired now

LA Lakers superstar LeBron James is currently entering his 20th NBA season. He will also be turning 38 in December. Needless to say, few players make it to this age. However, James has already clarified that he has a few goals before retirement.

One of those well-known goals is James’ desire to play alongside his firstborn son, LeBron James Jr., AKA Bronny. Bronny James, who recently turned 18, is currently a high school senior at Sierra Canyon in California.

Bronny will still have to play at least one year in college before being eligible for the NBA Draft. This rule means that the earliest LeBron can play on the same team as Bronny is the 2024-25 NBA season. LeBron will turn 40 during that season.

However, LeBron James is also considering playing alongside his second-born son Bryce James. Bryce is three years younger than Bronny at just 15 years old. James spoke about his plans to potentially play alongside both of his sons in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated.

“I like to throw things out in the airwaves, but I’m not one to [say] what’s going to happen in the next two to three years," James said. "I am a visionary, but I’m also a guy that lives in the moment. I’d definitely be looking at who got first-round picks in 2024, 2025, things of that nature; 2026, ’27. I pay attention to that type of stuff."

James then added that it would be up to his body and mind.

“I feel like I could play for quite a while," James said. "So it’s all up to the body, but more importantly, my mind. If my mind can stay sharp and fresh and motivated, then the sky’s not even the limit for me. I can go beyond that. But we shall see."

During the 2026-2027 NBA season, James would be turning 43. That would be James' 24th season in the NBA, an all-time league record. Whether or not James holds up that long remains to be seen. Regardless, it doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing LeBron James retire soon.

LeBron James’ NBA legacy

2020 NBA Finals - Game Six

Even if LeBron James retired today, there is still an excellent case to be made that he is the greatest basketball player ever. James currently has four NBA championships, four Finals MVPs, four NBA MVPs, 18 All-NBA selections and 18 All-Star selections. James has also made 10 NBA Finals, second only to the late great Bill Russell and his teammate Sam Jones.

James is also expected to pass Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar this season to become the league’s all-time leading scorer. At 37,062 points, James is currently just 1,325 points away from Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points.

However, if James wants to end the GOAT debate, he will likely need to tie or pass Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan’s six championships. Considering James could play up to five more years, he still has enough time to do so.