'IT COULD BE'
LeBron James teases NBA retirement after agreeing new $104m LA Lakers deal as icon puts finishes touches on $37m mansion
James is currently in Las Vegas ahead of Team USA's Olympic bid in Paris
NBA superstar LeBron James has admitted his retirement from basketball might not be far away.
The 20-time All-Star penned a two-year, $104 million extension with the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this month.
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James, 39, is currently the oldest active player in the NBA.
Despite approaching his 40th birthday, the Akron native remains at the top of his game.
He appeared in 71 regular season games for the Lakers last season, his most since 2018.
LeBron has always insisted he wants to go out on a high and is targeting a fifth career ring next season.
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But James admitted in a sit-down interview with ESPN's Dave McMenamin he could walk away from the sport when his new deal expires in two years time.
"I mean it could be [my last NBA contract]," James revealed.
"I'd never sit up here and say, 'Oh um maybe not.'
"Yeah, it could be. Easily. But we'll see what happens."
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LeBron will also suit up alongside his son Bronny in 2024-25 after the 19-year-old was drafted as the No. 55 pick last month.
James is confident his son, who spent just one season in college with USC, can handle the pressures of the NBA.
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"I don't know if people really understand Bronny," he continued.
"He doesn't care [what other people think]. I actually care a little bit.
"When I came in [as a rookie], I wanted people to like me and some of the things that people were saying about me kind of bothered me early on in my career.
"He doesn't give a f***. He does not care about nobody.
"He doesn't even listen to that stuff. He's like the coolest. He's like the complete opposite of his dad."
LeBron is already putting in place plans for his life post-basketball.
The 39-year-old is in the process of building his $37 million dream home in the heart of Los Angeles.
Pictures obtained by The U.S. Sun showed builders toiling away at the residence, nestled in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains.
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LeBron is currently in Las Vegas, Nevada, preparing for Team USA's gold medal challenge at the Paris Olympics.
It is James' first visit to an Olympic Games since his triumph in 2012.