LeBron James is once again opening up about his NBA mortality after recording a triple-double in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 134-132 overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

Speaking to reporters watching the game (starting at 1:47), James admitted his “time is very limited” when asked if he was close to his 40th birthday and if fans still would appreciate what he was still capable of on the pitch.

James has not shied away from discussing his age and the end of his playing career is near. He first announced his retirement after the Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 Western Conference Finals.

“We’ll see what happens in the future,” James said at the end of the series. “I don’t know it. I don’t know it. To be honest, I have a lot to think about. As I personally move forward with the game of basketball, I have a lot to think about.”

The topic was recently addressed by James when he said he “won’t play that much longer” after a win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 13.

“I said the other night I won’t play until the wheels fall off. I won’t be that guy. I’m not going to be the guy that disrespects the game because I just wanted to be out there.” “I won’t be,” James added.

For all the talk, James has never given any indication of exactly when the end will be. He’s certainly not at the point where he’s “disrespecting the game” with his play, even though he’s just a few weeks shy of his 40th birthday on December 30th.

James scored 39 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in 43 minutes against the Hawks. It was his seventh triple-double of the season, matching the total from the previous two seasons. He is averaging 23.0 points, 9.1 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game in 23 starts.

Despite James’ brilliant performance, the Lakers lost their third game in a row. They have lost seven of their last nine games after starting 10-4. With an overall record of 12-11, they have fallen to 10th place in the Western Conference standings.

James signed a two-year, $101.4 million contract with the Lakers in the offseason. The second year of the contract includes a player option worth $52.6 million. It stands to reason that he will play out this contract before making any decisions about his future.