Skip to content

LeBron: Brady's 7th title inspiring, but won't change my retirement timeline

Adam Pantozzi / National Basketball Association / Getty

A day after Tom Brady captured his seventh Super Bowl, LeBron James registered his third triple-double of the season as he led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 119-112 overtime win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

Like the 43-year-old Brady, the four-time Finals MVP continues to perform at a high level in his career's latter stages.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback has previously stated that he'd like to play until he's 45 years old, but James won't put a similar timeframe on his own career.

"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," James told reporters postgame, including ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "It was very inspiring for a guy like myself. But two different sports, two different positions.

"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."

At 36, James has shown no signs of slowing down. The former No. 1 overall pick won his fourth NBA title last season, finished second in MVP voting, and led the Association in assists for the first time in his career.

James' 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists on Monday gave him his ninth triple-double since turning 35, passing Jason Kidd's previous NBA record for a player 35 or older.

In December, James signed a two-year, $85-million contract extension that will keep him in Los Angeles through the 2022-23 season.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox