NBA: LeBron not ready to talk retirement just yet

New York, January 12: Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James is in his 15th NBA season, but he is not ready to talk about retirement just yet.

At 33 and with an enormous number of accolades behind him, James was asked by reporters if he could see the end of his career.

He simply responded: "I do not. I do not," adding: "I've got too many sneakers to sell still".

James is proving to still be on the rise as he is averaging 27 points, eight rebounds and nine assists per game this season, and despite being a veteran in the league, he says he still feels "great".

"I don't feel 33," he said. "I don't feel like I've been to [seven] straight finals in a row. I don't feel like I came in at 18 and I've played 79 to 80 per cent of games. Just keep it going.

"I've already went further than I thought I would go. Everything after this point is extra credit. Fifteen years. I don't know, I've been in this spotlight for half of my years. I'm 33 now. This thing started when I was 15. Eighteen years I've been in this light right here. I've already exceeded everything I've dreamed about."

However, his kids could speed up James' thoughts of retirement.

James has a three-year-old daughter named Zhuri and a 10-year-old son named Bryce. He also has 13-year-old LeBron Jr., who just so happens to be developing a strong basketball career of his own.

"The only thing is with my kids getting older, that's the only thing that kind of stops me from going as long as I'd like to," James said ahead of Cleveland's game against the Toronto Raptors.

"[LeBron Jr.'s] a damn good basketball player, too. On this road trip, I've already missed four of his games. That's the thing that kind of sucks.

"Daddy side kicks in sometimes. That will be a deciding factor in how long I want to play."

Source: OPTA