If LeBron James hasn't already handed Father Time his first-ever loss, the Lakers superstar is certainly on track to do so.
As James prepares for his 22nd season of professional basketball, he's still playing at an elite level. James is coming off of a record 20th All-NBA selection and has stood out as the best player on a star-studded United States men's national team at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
James debuted on the Olympics stage as a fresh-faced 19-year-old in 2004, marking the first of three consecutive Olympic appearances. After a 12-year break, James returned to one of the biggest stages in international basketball, doing so 20 years after first stepping onto the Olympic scene.
Given his history with the program, James is one of the most decorated men's players in the history of the USA Basketball program. After leading Team USA to a medal in 2024, many wonder whether James plans to suit up in the red, white, and blue again during his career.
Based on James' age and statements in the past, here is whether the Paris Games will be his last or if there's a chance he'll return to the Olympics in 2028 when they'll be hosted on U.S. soil in Los Angeles.
MORE: The complete timeline of LeBron James at the Olympics
How old is LeBron James?
James is 39. He was born on Dec. 30, 1984, and will turn 40 right before the calendar flips to 2025.
James' Olympic debut came when he was 19. He returned to the Olympics stage as a 23-year-old in 2008 and again as a 27-year-old at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Because of his unparalleled longevity, James firmly cemented himself in the conversation as one of the greatest players in the history of the game of basketball. After James and Team USA came up short at the 2004 Olympics, he went on to begin a streak of 20 consecutive NBA All-Star and All-NBA appearances.
On the Olympic stage, James is one of Team USA's most decorated players. He entered 2024 as a two-time gold medalist and ranked in the top five in several statistical categories for USA Basketball players on the Olympic stage.
James' triple-double in the Olympic semifinals is just the fourth-ever triple-double recorded at the Olympics (James has recorded two of them)/ A gold medal in 2024 could serve as a feather in the cap of James with respect to his international basketball career.
MORE: How Stephen Curry, LeBron James powered Team USA's stunning comeback vs. Serbia
Will LeBron James be in the next Olympics?
James has indicated that he will not participate in the 2028 Olympic Games. He has gone as far as to say he will not even be present in LA when the Olympics will place.
“No, I won’t be there,” James told NBC's Craig Melvin.
He jokingly added that, “I’m getting the hell out of that city when the Olympics come to Los Angeles. All right, I’ll live there all year. I will not be in Los Angeles in ‘28. I’m getting out of there.”
The joking nature of the second half of James' response suggests that the door may be open for him to attend some events in Los Angeles, but it sounds like he is intent on the 2024 Olympic Games being his last.
In 2028, James will be 43. He recently signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Lakers through the 2025-26 NBA season and it is unclear how much longer he plans to play beyond the duration of his deal.
If James is still an active NBA player when the Olympics come to LA, he will be coming off of an NBA-record 25th NBA season.
