LeBron Says Mind, Not Body, Will Dictate How Long He Plays

The Lakers superstar offered insight on what motivates him to keep playing basketball.

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LeBron James will turn 38 on Friday, and with his birthday on the horizon, he was asked about his playing future. With the Lakers struggling to stay in the playoff picture at 14–21, James opened up about why he still plays basketball and how he wants to get back to that.

“As long as my mind stays in it, I can play at this level for a minute,” he said Wednesday after the Lakers’ 112-98 loss at Miami. “It’s up to my mind. My body—it’s going to be O.K. because if my mind is into it, I would make sure my body’s taken care of and I’ll continue to put in the work.

“I’m a winner, and I want to win,” James continued. “I want to win and give myself a chance to win and still compete for championships.”

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ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin mentioned to James that teammate Dennis Schröder said in a recent interview that James said he wanted to play for seven more years. James didn’t confirm or deny the account, instead saying, “I don’t have a number.”

While James is playing well individually this season, averaging 27.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game, the Lakers are struggling. After missing the playoffs last season, the team now has lost five of its past six games and sits in 13th place in the Western Conference. James made it clear from his Wednesday comments that the status quo isn’t satisfactory from his perspective.

“Playing basketball at this level just to be playing basketball is not—just not in my DNA,” he said. “It’s not in my DNA anymore. We’ll see what happens and see how fresh my mind stays over the next couple years.”