LeBron James was in his prime while playing for the Miami Heat from 2010-14. That legacy-defining time led to four consecutive finals and two back-to-back championships in the middle. While his time in Miami didn't last long, it kick-started James' GOAT debate with Michael Jordan.
Today, James, while not as great as he was during his Heat and Cavaliers days (in his second stint there after Miami), is still incredibly good. If you paid attention to the Los Angeles Lakers' playoff run, James' greatness was on full display regardless of his 23rd season and 41 years of age.
James isn't expected to retire, and whether it's with the Lakers or another team next season, James is also expected to still be really good. In fact, James is unlikely to never not be good, no matter how many more seasons he plays. And that's the part that sucks, according to James' former Heat teammate, Dwyane Wade, who recently broke down why James' still-existing greatness makes it that much harder to walk away.
Dwyane Wade claims LeBron James might find it hard to walk away due to him still being great
No one has ever done what James is doing, and no one will ever do it again after he's gone from the game. What he continues to do in the NBA and for the NBA is a priceless commodity for the sports world at large. So what does this really mean for James? He's not going to keep playing just because he's still good, is he? It has to end at some point, no matter how well he's still playing.
It might not be that easy for him, though, if you ask Wade, who knew when he was done, making it an easy decision to retire. As for James' situation, well, it's entirely different from Wade's, and the latter recently spoke about why James' greatness is a larger factor than we might think, not to mention, looking at it from a completely surprising angle.
“I’m just here to appreciate what I’m witnessing and what we all are witnessing,” Wade said on his Time Out with Dwyane Wade podcast. “Because we’ve never seen this before, man. It has to suck a little bit to get to this point in your career and still be really good. I got to a point in my career, and I was like, well, I’m not that good anymore. Like I can still play. I can go play right now and still be able to play, but I won’t be that good.
“So, it was easy for me to decide to walk away,” Wade continued. “It’s hard to make that decision when you’re still really f***ing good. Who walks away when they’re really, really good? Only a few. There ain’t a lot of Barry Sanders who just walk away when they really good. And you’re talking about a guy who’s been doing this his entire life.”
Now, it's unclear if James is matching Wade's thought process on this one, because the chances that James wishes he weren't still so good are next to nil. His longevity and the level at which he continues to play at his age have the potential to sway many who consider Jordan the greatest of all time to change their minds. Again, it's unclear if James is also thinking those thoughts, either, but it makes sense.
It's quite the conundrum Wade has brought up, because it carries real weight. Why would James walk away when he's still one of the best players on the floor any given night? He may have averaged the fewest points per game since his rookie season this past year, but his stat line still read 20-6-7 while shooting over 50% from the field and playing above 30 minutes per game.
It's incredible, and based on production alone, James should still have a few years left in him, and still never not be good. Wade has a point; it may never be easy for James to walk away. It was different for Wade. He wasn't good anymore, as he stated. That's why his take on James' situation carries a lot of validity.
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