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The Los Angeles Lakers improved to 7-2 on Wednesday night with a thrilling 118-116 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Through nine games, they’ve managed this success without superstar forward LeBron James, who has been sidelined with a sciatic issue dating back to before the season. While Lakers personnel remain hopeful he can return by mid-November, he will soon turn 41 in December, and when he steps on the court this season, he will officially become the longest-tenured active player in NBA history. Although James shows no signs of slowing down — he averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds last season — NBA legend Charles Barkley believes James faces a tough career decision and hopes he makes it “sooner rather than later.” “I hope he leaves sooner than later, ’cause I hate to see great players out there struggling,” Barkley said. “I really struggled my last year, probably my last two years. It was very frustrating and humiliating for me. Obviously, LeBron is a better player than me, but I don’t want to see great players just hanging on. “I would love to see him have a farewell tour, then just walk away because he’s one of the three greatest players I’ve ever seen after Michael and Kobe. So, I don’t want to see him hanging on just for the heck of it. But father time is always gonna win.” More NBA: Grizzlies’ Ja Morant Trade Rumors Suggest Intriguing Next Team More NBA: Utah Jazz Receive Devastating Walker Kessler Injury Update “Father Time” has been a term used in sports for decades, referring to when age eventually catches up to an athlete — when they can no longer do the things they once could. Sometimes this manifests as a gradual decline in performance; other times, injuries derail the final chapters of a career. James, however, has repeatedly stated that he has no intention of playing until the wheels fall off. This suggests he wants to retire while still performing at a high level — something he has consistently done every season of his NBA career since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2003.
