LeBron James said he and Tom Brady will ‘play until we can’t walk no more’
The Lakers' forward compared himself to the Patriots' quarterback and discussed retirement.
Like Tom Brady, age is just a number for LeBron James.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the 34-year-old Lakers forward compared himself to the 42-year-old Patriots quarterback and said that with the way he feels, he cannot envision his retirement.
With Carmelo Anthony coming back to the NBA, LeBron James was asked if he’s thought how the end of his career will look: “Not really. Not the way I feel right now. Me and Tom Brady are one in the same. We’re going to play until we can’t walk no more.”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 15, 2019
“Not really. Not the way I feel right now,” James said. “Me and Tom Brady are one in the same. We’re going to play until we can’t walk no more.”
Brady jokingly responded to James’ retirement-quote on Twitter, tweeting, “I’m playing until I can’t dunk anymore!”
I’m playing until I can’t dunk anymore! @KingJames https://t.co/K03xVJvMgZ
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) November 16, 2019
Both athletes continue to redefine what it means to have longevity in their respective sports. Brady is currently the oldest active quarterback in the NFL while last season, James became the oldest player to lead the NBA in total minutes. Neither players have put a time stamp on when they plan on retiring, and even when Brady’s trainer Alex Guerrero said that he could possibly play until he’s 47, Brady said he plans on “going as long as I can”:
“I’m going to keep going as long as I can, we’ll see how long it goes. ” Brady said Thursday on Westwood One. “It’s easier said than done. I know the kind of effort I’m putting into it right now, but what a great privilege it is to play a sport that I love.”
Meanwhile, James has said that he would love to play alongside his son, Sierra Canyon freshman guard LeBron “Bronny” James Jr., who will graduate high school in 2023. That means that James has another four or five seasons until Bronny potentially gets drafted into the NBA.
“I would love to see the floor with my son,” James said last year on the Tim Ferriss podcast. “If he continues on the path he’s on right now, he could possibly be in the NBA in five or six years…So we’ll see. Obviously taking care of my body is No. 1 and we will continue to do that. But more importantly, taking care of the mind. If your mind is fresh then your body will fall at the wayside.”
Despite their age, both athletes maintain their athletic performance by focusing on their cognitive health. James actively reads books during the NBA playoffs to help find him find “a different perspective” and take his “mind off the game”. Brady uses brain exercises to improve his memory, pattern recognition and speed.
“There are not many things that I unknow in football,” Brady said to Men’s Health. “You call the play. I see the defense; I know what to do. Say there’s five guys going on routes. Wherever the defense guards are, I’m going to throw it the opposite way. By the time I have the ball in my hands, I know what I want to do with it.”
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