Since LeBron James was nine years old, basketball has been his oxygen.

Now, at age 41, he has made it clear he’sapproaching the end of his career. He doesn’t know when he’s going to retire, but he knows how it’s going to feel.

“I kind of look at it like when you lose a loved one and you have a funeral,” James told the California Post in an exclusive interview. “People tend to be sad, but it’s also acelebration of life. I think for me, when I’m done with this game, it’ll be a celebration of life and not of loss. It’ll be a celebration of everything I’ve been able to accomplish in this game, everything I’ve put into it. The moments, all the love.”

James entered the league as an 18-year-old with the highest expectations of any prospect ever when he was drafted by Cleveland as the No. 1 overall pick in 2003.

That type of pressure would’ve been crushing for most players. But James didn’t flinch, becoming the face of the league for two decades andarguably the greatest player of all-time.

He’s the first player toreach his 23rd season, and he’s still one of the top players in the NBA, averaging 21.6 points on 50.2 percent shooting, 7.0 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. His longevity is unprecedented.

And for other NBA superstars, it’s unfathomable.

“I don’t know how we can understand,” Dwyane Wade told the California Post. “We’ve never seen it. Not in this sport, at the level he’s playing at on a nightly basis. There’s not been a word made yet to explain what it is. I think at this time, if you asked him, he has probably reached being a complete player. He’s probably the most copious he has ever been as a player and he’s in his 23rd year. It’s just incredible as a fan to be able to experience and watch.”

Still, James has made it clear that the final specks of sand are falling through the hourglass of his career. He doesn’t want to play until the wheels fall off, even though he believes he could be impactful for many more years if he so chose.

For all we know, James could retire after this season. He’s steeling himself for the end. He cried while watching a tribute video last month in Cleveland, where he spent 11 seasons of his career, winning the franchise their first and only championship in 2016. Last weekend, he took his daughter, Zhuri, on her first father-daughter road trip.

Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos