Kendrick Perkins spews grandfather's wisdom to sum up LeBron James' major drop-off - "Age 40 might be his 100k"

Amid LA Lakers superstar forward LeBron James' steep offensive decline, ESPN's Kendrick Perkins offered familial advice. The 2008 NBA champion likened James' 22-year career to a used car, seemingly implying that he should consider retirement.

After regularly putting up All-Star-caliber numbers earlier in the season, James has entered an extensive slump. The four-time MVP has scored below 20 points in five of his last six outings. Additionally, he has gone 0-for-19 from 3-point range over his last four appearances.

James seemingly bottomed out during Monday's 109-80 blowout road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He mustered a season-low 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists and six turnovers, shooting 4-for-16 (25.0%), missing all four of his outside looks.

After the contest, Perkins reacted to James' stat line on X/Twitter. He relayed his grandfather's advice about the risks of driving a high-mileage car, correlating it to the 20-time All-Star's career.

"A car running perfectly can fall apart after it hits 100k miles. Age 40 might be his 100k," Perkins wrote. "I mean, at least that's what my grandfather told me when his Oldsmobile stopped running."

Drafted in 2003, James turns 40 later this month, well past the average retirement age for NBA players. So, his abrupt regression could be a cause for concern for LA (12-9), which has lost five of its last seven games.

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LeBron James expected to play 1 or 2 more seasons amid sudden offensive decline

LeBron James has been open about his intention not to overstay his welcome in the NBA. Last month, he provided reporters with an estimated one to two-year timeline for his potential retirement.

"I'm not going to play that much longer, to be completely honest," James said. "I don't know how many years that is. If it's one year or two years, whatever the case may be. I said the other night, 'I'm not playing until the wheels fall off.' I'm not going to be that guy."

However, if James' shooting struggles persist, perhaps he will call it a career earlier than anticipated.

Through 21 contests, he is averaging 22.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.9 3-pointers per game, shooting 48.2% and 34.5% from deep.

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