Despite being 35 years old in his 17th NBA season, former Miami Heat forward LeBron James could easily play another four seasons, according to his close friend Dwyane Wade.
Brian Sozzi of Yahoo Finance interviewed Wade, who spoke on a number of different topics. One of those was exactly how long James could continue playing in the NBA.
“[LeBron is] still top of his game. He has got a couple years where he ain’t got to be at the top of his game but still be good enough. I get another four years,” Wade, 37, said in a wide-ranging interview discussing his upcoming ESPN documentary “Life Unexpected.”
Both Wade and James entered the league in 2003, but Wade is nearly three years older than his good friend, who went directly from high school to the NBA.
The 38-year-old Wade retired following last season, and like James, is a lock to enter the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible. However, Wade’s production during his final years declined, something that hasn’t happened with James.
Last season, James struggled through an injury-plagued campaign in which he was limited to a career-low 55 games. That led many critics to declare that the superstar was starting to decline.
Emphatically answering those remarks this season, James is once again a force on the court and has led the Los Angeles Lakers to a Western Conference-best record of 42-12.
For this season, James is averaging 34.9 minutes of action, scoring 25.1 points and dishing out 10.7 assists per game. In addition, the veteran’s stellar all-around game has him averaging 7.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per contest.
At some point, James’ career will wind down. Yet, it’s clear that Wade sees no sign of it happening any time soon, which is bad news for the Heat and the rest of the NBA.
