Father Time may be undefeated, but LeBron James is certainly giving him a run for his money.
Putting on the greatest 3-point shooting display of his illustrious career, the 39-year-old James scored 40 points – including 9-of-10 from beyond the arc – to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 116-104 win in Brooklyn on Sunday night.
Afterward, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer admitted that even though he’s still playing at a high level, he knows retirement is drawing near.
“Not very long,” James said when asked how much longer he plans to play. “I’m on the other side, obviously, of the hill. So I’m not going to play another 21 years, that’s for damn sure. But not very long. I don’t know what or when that door will close as far as when I retire, but I don’t have much time left.”
But as long as he’s on the floor, James is still a force.
The 40-point performance against the Nets was his second since he turned 39 in December. He joined Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to score 40 or more points in multiple games at that age. Jordan did it three times.
Perhaps even more impressive, James is having the best 3-point shooting season of his 20-year career, connecting on 41.6% of his attempts.
“I’m not one of those guys that wants to go out there and shoot 12, 14 or 15 3s per game,” James said. “But I want to be respected, and teams have to play me from the outside. That’s still kind of one thing teams (think) … ‘If we have to give up something, we’d much rather him shoot the ball from the outside.'”
LeBron James connects on one of his nine 3-pointers against the Nets in Sunday’s 116-104 win at Barclays Center.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron James on how much longer until retirement: ‘Not very long’
