“At this point of my career, you think about when the end is. That’s human nature. You think: Is it this year? Or next year? Those thoughts always creep into your mind at this point of the journey.” That was LeBron James, getting brutally honest about his own basketball mortality. After 22 seasons, four championships, and countless miles on his body, even The King knows he can’t play forever. But in the same breath that he acknowledges the end is near, he’s also dreaming about a future that seems almost impossible. And now, a former Lakers teammate is delivering a dose of hard reality that fans might not want to hear.

The confession came during a recent interview with the Associated Press, where LeBron was asked about his family and his future. He shared that playing alongside his oldest son, Bronny, was a dream come true. But then he talked about his younger son, Bryce, who will be draft-eligible in 2026. The idea of playing with him, too? “Insane,” as LeBron put it. To still be in the league at 42 years old would defy all logic.

And that’s where the dream clashes with reality. LeBron is heading into his 23rd season, and his focus this summer isn’t just on training—it’s on rehab. During the Lakers’ playoff loss to the Timberwolves, he suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee after a collision with Donte DiVincenzo, an injury that ultimately required surgery. While he told the AP he’s feeling good and expects to be ready for camp, saying, “I have a lot of time to take care of my injury, my knee, the rest of my body,” former Lakers forward Matt Barnes has a more pessimistic view.

On a recent episode of The Skip Bayless Show, Barnes, a guy who has seen LeBron’s greatness up close, delivered some bad news for Lakers fans. “The one thing I saw… is that he just ran out of gas in the playoffs,” Barnes said bluntly on the podcast. “And honestly, I don’t think there’s anything he can do moving forward to not run out of gas. His body is just… running out of gas.”

Barnes isn’t questioning LeBron’s work ethic. He acknowledged that LeBron is one of the hardest workers in the league, a guy who famously invests over a million dollars a year into his body. It’s an insane, year-round regimen that includes a notoriously strict diet, a personal team of doctors and trainers, and a sleep schedule so disciplined that he reportedly aims for a 9 p.m. bedtime during the regular season. But even that wasn’t enough to prevent a significant injury.

As Barnes sees it, even that legendary dedication might not be enough anymore. He didn’t just say LeBron ran out of gas; he painted a picture of a body finally betraying its owner. “But this year in the playoffs, you could just see it—his body gave up. He gave everything he had,” Barnes explained. “And at 40-plus years old, no matter how hard he works in the offseason… there are only so many miles a body can take. And his odometer is way past the limit.” It’s a brutal assessment, but if the end of his playing career is truly approaching, it sets the stage for his next, and perhaps biggest, ambition.

The Lakers sale might have just unlocked LeBron’s superstar pipe dream

For years, LeBron James has been a not-so-subtle advocate for NBA expansion, making it clear he wants to be the man to bring a team to Las Vegas. “I wanna own a team. I want a team in Vegas,” he stated plainly back in 2022. At the time, it felt like a classic superstar pipe dream. But in the wake of the Lakers‘ record-shattering $10 billion sale, that dream is suddenly a very real possibility. The reason is simple: the sale completely changed the financial incentives for the league’s current owners.

The key, as ESPN’s Tim Bontemps broke down on his podcast, is how that new, eye-popping valuation translates into a massive payday for every single current owner. With new teams expected to fetch around $6 billion apiece, a two-team expansion would create a $12 billion pot of money. The best part for the owners? That money isn’t shared with the players. Bontemps made it clear: “That number does not get split with the players. That gets split with the 30 current owners. That means every current owner would get a cheque for $400 million.” All of a sudden, adding two new teams isn’t about giving up a piece of the pie; it’s about getting a massive cash infusion.

That’s the opening LeBron has been waiting for. Of course, coming up with the reported $7 billion price tag for a Vegas team and a new arena won’t be easy, even for a billionaire. He’ll have to put together a powerful ownership group but with his business acumen and his track record of smart investments, like his stake in Liverpool FC, there’s no doubt he can attract the right partners.

There’s just one catch: NBA rules prevent active players from owning a team. So, for LeBron to build his Vegas empire, his playing career has to end. It’s the ultimate trade-off. Does he chase the “insane” dream of playing with his son Bryce, or does he pivot to the front office and become one of the most powerful figures in the sport? For a guy who has spent his entire career controlling his own destiny, this is the final, fascinating chapter. And it looks like it’s coming, as LeBron himself once said, “sooner than later.”