Kendrick Perkins is 40 years old. LeBron James is also 40. The difference? Perkins retired in 2018, while LeBron is still dominating the court. Both stars were drafted in 2003, and Perkins even shared the floor with James during his stint with the Cavaliers in the 2014-15 and 2016-17 seasons. While fans know that LeBron’s retirement isn’t too far off, Big Perk suggests that Bron should consider retirement this season, considering his recent injuries. Still, anything can happen with LeBron, which is a relief for Perkins.

Kendrick Perkins shared his thoughts on Scoop B Radio, saying, “I will say the one thing that I will do is appreciate this year from LeBron James, cuz like he said, I ain’t he ain’t waiting on Bryce. So that means to tell me he ain’t got too many more years and we ain’t got too much of LeBron.”

And honestly, he’s right. Bryce James is already shaping up as one of the top prospects for the 2026 NBA draft, and fans eagerly anticipate the possibility of seeing the James family—LeBron, Bronny, and Bryce—together on the Lakers’ roster.

Bryce James, a 3-star recruit according to 247Sports’ composite rankings, is gearing up for the 2025-26 season at Arizona. He spent all four years of high school at Sierra Canyon, where he played a significant role in leading the team to the CIF State Division 1 championship in 2025. 

As a senior, he averaged eight points and four rebounds per game, and he had a standout moment in the Spalding Hoophall Classic, scoring 16 points in just 17 minutes off the bench, along with five rebounds and four steals, earning MVP honors against Grayson (Georgia).

It’s expected that Bryce will take a few years to fully develop before entering the NBA, likely after his freshman year.

But one thing is certain: when Bryce signs his rookie contract, LeBron will be stepping away from the NBA for good. He said it himself, “I’m not waiting on Bryce, I don’t know what his timeline is, he’s his own young man. We’ll see what happens this year or next year, but he has his own timeline. I got my timeline, and I don’t know if they quite match up.”

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And Big Perk is relieved to hear that. “This is three straight years of LeBron James has dealt with injuries that have kept him sidelined, maybe four?” Perkins said earlier. “His body is telling him, ‘Hey, I’ve been good to you. It’s time for you to be good to me. It’s time to shut it down.’” And he’s right. Physically, LeBron’s body has been sending clear signals. 

What was initially dismissed as “nerve irritation” turned out to be a more serious case of sciatica, a condition where nerve pain radiates from the lower back through the glutes and legs, keeping LeBron out of the start of the season for at least three to four weeks.

It’s also telling that LeBron James didn’t ask for a contract extension with the Lakers this season. Earlier this summer, he chose to exercise his player option for the 2025-26 season instead of opting out to become a free agent. This means that he’s entering the final year of his contract for the first time in his long career.

And that’s why

Perkins was asked whether he thinks LeBron will stay with the Lakers next season or head back to the Cavaliers. He said, “He’s unpredictable, bro. You just never know. I see LeBron James retiring as a Laker, but you just never know what he has in the pipeline. Would it surprise me if his last stint was in Cleveland? No. But he’s unpredictable, so I don’t know.”

Like Perkins, we’ll have to wait and see what LeBron’s next move will be. In the meantime, let’s look at the Bron-Perk saga that kicked off on Instagram and doesn’t seem to have found closure yet.

LeBron vs. Perkins: Social media sparks, but no real beef?

It all started back in 2024 when LeBron James made some headlines for comments about his former teammate, Kyrie Irving. With Irving starring in the NBA Finals for the Dallas Mavericks, LeBron admitted he was proud to see Kyrie’s growth but also frustrated that he wasn’t by his side anymore.

On the Mind the Game podcast, he said there was nothing Kyrie couldn’t do on the court and that watching him made LeBron both incredibly happy and a little mad at the same time for not being his running mate anymore.

Kendrick Perkins didn’t hold back in his response. He called out LeBron for inserting himself into someone else’s moment, pointing out that the focus should’ve been on the Mavericks and Celtics, not LeBron’s feelings about not being Kyrie’s teammate.

The situation escalated when NBA Alerts reported that LeBron had unfollowed Perkins on X, surprising fans who knew the two shared a close relationship and that Perkins had been one of LeBron’s biggest supporters in the media, even calling him “GOAT”!

Despite the social media snub, Perkins kept his cool, responding, “Everybody didn’t follow Jesus, I’ll be ok.” While some criticized the comment, the situation between the two has stayed steady.

They aren’t harboring hate or tearing each other down, and neither is there any trash talk that happens when and if they cross paths. Perkins pointed out that he and LeBron are “bullheaded,” but everything remains controlled. “He’s not losing sleep at night and I’m not losing none either!” Perkins added.