Charles Barkley explains why LeBron James must retire now

• LeBron James is considering retirement.
• He has yet to announce a decision.
• Charles Barkley wants him to go on his own terms.

Charles Barkley Urges LeBron To Retire

The Los Angeles Lakers’ season came to another early end. LeBron James‘ stellar play couldn’t prevent them from losing to the defending NBA champions again, this time in five games.

James had a great season, but he’s not getting any younger. Once again, he admitted that he didn’t have that much time left in the league, adding that he would take some time to make a decision about his future.

Nonetheless, most around the league believe it’s just a matter of time before he signs a new deal. However, NBA legend Charles Barkley thinks that might not be in his best interests.

Barkley Wants LeBron To Retire

“I hope he retires while he can still play,” the Hall of Famer said on ESPN Cleveland 850AM. “I saw Michael Jordan play with the [Washington] Wizards, and it was not pretty. I saw Patrick Ewing with the Orlando Magic. I would love to see LeBron James retire sooner rather than later.”

Charles Barkley

Barkley Doesn’t Want LeBron’s Age To Catch Up With His Body

As durable as James is and as much as he takes elite care of his body, Barkley is afraid his body will eventually give up after all the minutes he’s played. Also, it’s not like the Lakers are championship contenders right now:

“It ends badly for everybody,” Barkley said. “If you keep playing, there’s gonna be a time when Father Time is gonna kick your ass. He’s always gonna win. And the thing is, I hear these guys on TV comment, ‘Wow, he’s playing at such a high, high level,’ like he’s playing at a high level. Yeah, that’s true; he’s playing all right. But he’s playing with Anthony Davis in the play-in tournament. So what level is he actually playing at?”

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At the end of the day, it’s hard to envision James leaving $100 million on the table if he can still play at the highest level. Even so, the end of an era might be just around the corner.