LeBron James, star of the Los Angeles Lakers, considered retiring over the offseason but opted to return for a 21st NBA season.

It was only natural for James, who will soon turn 39 and has accomplished everything there is to accomplish in the NBA, to wonder how much longer he can keep playing after he brought up the possibility of retiring after the Lakers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.

But James is feeling refreshed and eager to deliver another championship to L.A. after getting some rest and watching the changes Rob Pelinka made to enhance the Lakers in the summer (2023-2024).

After Saturday’s practice, LeBron spoke Jovan Buha of The Athletic about how enthusiastic he is about this Lakers squad and what motivates him for the upcoming season:

“I just think for one, it’s just my motivation to continue to be as great as I can be and solidify what I want to do in my career and still seeing that Larry O’Brien trophy in my mind on a daily basis. So that’s one of the best four moments of my career, being able to hoist up that trophy. So, that motivation alone. But also wanting to be legendary in this game and let my game speak for itself long after I’ve played. But this team has motivated me as well. Coming to practice every day, seeing the guys go to work every day, challenging each other, trying to get better every day. Implement what we want to do. And so, that’s been motivating as well.”

James is still a top-tier NBA player when he is 100 percent. Despite not being fully fit, he helped the Lakers go to the playoffs last year and finished against the Nuggets with a 40-10-9 line in 48 minutes in a defeat.

The Lakers’ increased depth is likely a major motivating factor for him this season since it will allow them to limit his playing time during the regular season and keep him fresh for the postseason. Last season, when they got out to a 2-10 start and had to fight their way up the Western Conference rankings and through the Play-In Tournament just to enter the playoffs, the Lakers didn’t have that luxury.

The Lakers are hoping to get off to a strong start this regular season thanks to the return of key players from the trade deadline and the signing of talented players like Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, and Christian Wood. The question of how to best divide up LeBron’s time has been a hot subject throughout training camp.

The NBA’s oldest active player is LeBron James.

LeBron James is currently the oldest player in the NBA following the formal retirements of Andre Iguodala and Udonis Haslem during the offseason.

James, who will turn 39 in December, will soon be joined on the list of oldest active players by fellow friends P.J. Tucker of the Philadelphia 76ers and Chris Paul of the Golden State Warriors.