The Los Angeles Lakers went back from pretenders to contenders as soon as they signed LeBron James a couple of summers ago. The results didn’t take long to show, as they won the NBA Championship in just his second season at the STAPLES Center.
It’s not a secret that The King has always been a polarizing figure around the league. That’s why some people have been talking about his decline and imminent retirement for the past couple of years.
Truth be told, not many people thought that he was going to be able to lead a franchise back to the NBA Finals after 18 years, especially with a revamped Los Angeles Clippers team. At least, that’s what former Lakers forward Metta World Peace thought.
Metta World Peace Says LeBron James Can Still Play At This Level For 3 More Years
“Honestly, I thought he was done. A couple of years he was slowing down. I thought he’s going to start winding down and probably retire when he’s 40 and maybe not play as well. I didn’t know he was going to be playing this well. He’s playing extremely well. He’s going to be here for three more years (at this level). You gotta idolize that,” said Artest in an interview.
To be fair, it’s not crazy to think that a 36-year-old player is going to slow down at some point. I mean, it’s only natural, as no one can escape Father Time. In fact, James himself admitted that he’s not going to get back to 100% after his ankle injury.
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All good things come to an end and LeBron’s career isn’t going to be the exception to that rule. But, barring injuries, there’s no doubt that he can prove Artest is right and play for another 3 or 4 years at the highest level.
