Rich Paul breaks the silence on LeBron James retirement from the NBA

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James wants to continue his basketball career for many years to come, but the reality is that the time for him to retire continues to approach as he is the oldest player in the league.

James’ agent and CEO of Klutch Sports Rich Paul admitted he doesn’t like to think about his friend retiring, via Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report: “Listen, I try not to think about that,” Paul said. “That’s a sad thought for me and I try to keep high energy up. I think there’s rumors out there that I want to go into ownership with him and do all that, which that’s a lie. We know where it’s stemming from and where it’s coming from, that’s what I call discouragement at its finest amongst a competitive arena."

“But I say all that to say, I don’t like to think about that. And not because of anything, I’m fine, I’m straight, he’s straight. You could bring up Steph Curry and I’ll tell you that I don’t want to think about Steph Curry not playing the game no more.

I just don’t. I didn’t want to think about it when it was Kobe when it was AI. You hate to see those guys go. And not even just the stars, a guy like Chauncey Billups, who I loved. So I don’t want to talk about any of our greats going anywhere. I hope they can play forever.”

Rich Paul said about LeBron James' retirement date

Paul also added that he believes James will stop playing the day he decides he can’t do it anymore: “The one thing you got to understand is when God chooses you to do something, you’re on his time. I understand the opinions and all those things, everybody is trying to do their job and feed their family and some people get paid to make opinions, but again, at this point, he’s playing because he loves the game. He’s not playing for money, he’s not playing for fame, he’s not playing for trinkets, he’s got every trinket you can ever imagine, probably too much. But he loves the game."

“So I think when you stop loving the game… he’s fortunate enough that it’s all about his mental. Where a lot of guys have to stop playing because they just can’t get up, you know?… So it’s important for us to just cherish the years that he has left and all these guys have left. One thing I do know is that he’s been in the league 21 years and he won’t play 21 more seasons, that’s for sure. I take it day by day and like I explained to him, for me, if I was in this position, and I talk to him about this all the time, just keep being a great example.”