If LeBron James hasn’t already given the zeitgeist its first defeat, the Lakers superstar is certainly on his way to doing so.
As James prepares for his 22nd season of professional basketball, he is still playing at an elite level. James was named to the All-NBA for the 20th time and has emerged as the best player on the star-studded U.S. national team at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
James made his Olympic debut in 2004 as a fresh 19-year-old, the first of three consecutive Olympic appearances. After a 12-year hiatus, James returned to one of the biggest stages in international basketball, 20 years after his first appearance on the Olympic stage.
Because of his history with the program, James is one of the most decorated male players in USA Basketball program history. After leading Team USA to a medal in 2024, many are wondering if James wants to wear the red, white and blue again during his career.
Based on James’ age and previous statements, it can be decided whether the Paris Games will be his last or whether there is a chance that he will return to the Olympic Games in 2028, when they are held on US soil in Los Angeles.
MORE: The complete chronicle of LeBron James at the Olympic Games
How old is LeBron James?
James is 39. He was born on December 30, 1984 and will turn 40 shortly before the turn of the year 2025.
James made his Olympic debut at the age of 19. He returned to the Olympic stage at the age of 23 in 2008 and at the age of 27 at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Due to his unparalleled longevity, James has established himself as one of the greatest players in basketball history. After James and the U.S. team failed to make the cut at the 2004 Olympics, he began a streak of 20 consecutive NBA All-Star and All-NBA appearances.
On the Olympic stage, James is one of the most successful players on the U.S. team, entering 2024 as a two-time gold medalist and ranking among the top five U.S. basketball players on the Olympic stage in several statistical categories.
James’ triple-double in the Olympic semifinals is only the fourth triple-double ever recorded at an Olympic Games (James has recorded two). A gold medal in 2024 could be a milestone for James in terms of his international basketball career.
MORE: How Stephen Curry and LeBron James enabled the US team’s stunning comeback against Serbia
Will LeBron James compete in the next Olympics?
James has hinted that he will not be competing in the 2028 Olympics. He even went so far as to say that he will not even be present in LA when the Olympics take place.
“No, I won’t be there,” James told NBC’s Craig Melvin.
He jokingly added: “I’m leaving this city when the Olympics are in Los Angeles. OK, I’ll live there all year. I won’t be in Los Angeles in 2028. I’ll get out of there.”
The joking second part of James’ answer suggests that he has the option of competing in some events in Los Angeles, but it sounds like he is determined that the 2024 Olympics will be his last time competing.
In 2028, James will be 43 years old. He recently signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Lakers through the 2025-26 NBA season, and it’s unclear how much longer he plans to play beyond the end of his contract.
If James is still an active NBA player when the Olympics take place in LA, he will be in his 25th NBA season – an NBA record.
