LeBron James Sets Loose Timeline On His Retirement, Hopes To Finish ...

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LeBron James sets loose timeline on his retirement, hopes to finish career with Lakers

Joe Rivera

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Not one, not two, not three, but maybe "four, five, six, seven." Years, not championships.

The end of LeBron James' career has been speculated, but the Lakers star recently put a timeline on his retirement in the "SmartLess" podcast with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett.

It doesn't sound like he's stepping away any time soon.

I truly hope that I can finish my career with the Lakers. However many years that is, if it’s four, five, six, whatever, seven, I hope I can continue to play the game. I love being in L.A., my family loves being in L.A. Being with a historical franchise like the Lakers is something. It’s like me being in "Space Jam" — I never thought it would be possible. You think about Kareem and Magic and Wilt and Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, Kobe, Shaq and all of them, the whole list goes on.

MORE: Everything you need to know about 'Space Jam: A New Legacy'

James is a free agent after the 2023 season, so any hope that he'll finish his career in Los Angeles will need to be attached to a contract extension that'll keep him tied there for the foreseeable future.

James wanting to play for another four, five, six or seven years will have to defy Father Time: He'll turn 37 in December, putting him in his early 40s when he hangs up the kicks for good.

LeBron has also said he would like to play with his son, Bronny James, who is still a few years away from making it to the NBA. Some reports suggested that Bronny plans to play for Duke come 2023, but no official commitment has been made.

Whenever Bronny's name is called in the NBA Draft, though, his dad will probably be waiting for him in the Association.

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Joe Rivera

Joe Rivera is in his seventh year with The Sporting News, handling NFL, MLB and some things pro wrestling. A proud-ish Rutgers University graduate, Rivera combines a new-school flair with an old-school soul. He loves dingers, wrestling, comic books, movies, music and really bad puns. He is also a card-carrying BBWAA member and teaches Multimedia Sports Reporting at his alma mater. You can find him and tweet him @JoeRiveraSN, if you're into that sort of thing.