Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, celebrating his 40th birthday Monday, said he could play another five to seven years in the NBA at a high-caliber level — though he conceded he would probably retire before then. The basketball superstar, speaking after a Lakers practice session, also said he plans to finish out his NBA career with the Lakers, and would not make a comeback after leaving the league — whenever that is.

Asked what might be the deciding factor about when to retire, James declared a lack of competitiveness would not be his reason.

“It won’t be because I can’t play this game at a high level,” James said. “To be honest, if I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level for another five to seven years if I wanted to, but I’m not going to do that.”

James, in his record-tying 22nd NBA campaign, is averaging 23.5 points, 9.0 assists and 7.9 rebounds a game and shooting 49.6 percent from the floor.

He won a third Olympic gold medal with the US team of NBA stars in Paris this year and, after starting in the NBA as an 18-year-old rookie, now has a 20-year-old son as an NBA teammate.

James is a four-time NBA champion, four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, a 20-time NBA All-Star and owns the ever-expanding NBA records for most points and games played in a career.

James said he plans to play out his career with the Lakers.

“I think that’s the plan,” James said. “I would love for it to end here. That would be the plan. I came here to play the last stage of my career.

“I think my relationship with this organization speaks for itself. Hopefully I don’t have to go nowhere before my career is over.”

Once he is gone, James said, there will be no comeback attempts, as was the case with superstar Michael Jordan.

“No, no, no, no, no. But I will miss the hell out of it for sure,” James said. “But no, I won’t walk away and then come back.”

For his career, James is averaging 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.5 steals over 1,520 games.

The United States won their fifth straight Olympic men’s basketball crown on Saturday, holding off a battling France 98-87 to take their tally of Olympic golds to 17. After the famous win, however, the USA basketball team’s official X account became the subject of social media trolling over the post “Are we the World Champs now?” This post was seemingly a direct swipe at the country’s own sprinter, Noah Lyles, who had questioned why the NBA champions call themselves ‘world champions.’

Lyles, who earned the ‘fastest man on the planet’ title at the Paris Olympics by winning the 100m gold medal, doesn’t agree with NBA winners giving themselves the ‘world champions’ tag. After winning the Olympic medal, USA’s basketball team shared the post.

***GOLD OLYMPIC CHAMPS

FIBA World Cup makes you the world champ

— Alejandro Leyva (@Alejandr0Leyva) August 10, 2024

Nope, Germany are world champs

— EL Gran’ Osvaldo (@Vizzy_rayven) August 10, 2024

Germany Men’s Basketball team is still the World Champions, while the USA Men’s Basketball team is the Olympic Gold medal Champions. Noah might have been rude, but he was right.

— Jagaban_MCFC (@mcfc_jagaban) August 10, 2024

He really got into your minds…

Noah Lyles won the gold in the 100 meters, the most noble event of the Olympic Games.

In addition, he won a bronze while he was sick with Covid.

He won SIX world championships, now that’s winning the world. pic.twitter.com/NBkIWuhM9p

— Sincero Jordan (@SinceroJordan) August 10, 2024

Earlier, Noah Lyles had said: “You know the thing that hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘world champion’ on their head,” he said. “World champion of what? The United States? Don’t get me wrong, I love the U.S. at times, but that ain’t the world…We are the world.”

“I love the U.S… but that ain’t the world!”

Noah Lyles throws shade at the NBA’s ‘world champions’pic.twitter.com/BRCJagckcK

— Eurosport (@eurosport) August 27, 2023

In a rematch of the Tokyo Olympics final three years ago, LeBron James and the US team stacked with NBA stars once again proved too much for France, despite the efforts of sensational NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama.

France sliced a 14-point deficit to three with 3min 04sec to play on Wembanyama’s put-back dunk, but Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry drilled a three-pointer — one of four from him with less than three minutes remaining — and the United States relentlessly powered to the finish.

Curry finished with eight three-pointers — including a rainbow over a leaping Wembanyama — and led the US scoring with 24 points.

With AFP Inputs