Paul Pierce thinks LeBron James should retire due to criticism he receives at age 41

Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images; KG: Certified podcast

The NBA future for LeBron James is up in the air, and former NBA star Paul Pierce thinks “King James” should retire, for an unusual reason.

During an appearance on Kevin Garnett’s podcast, KG: Certified, Pierce explained that James should retire due to the criticism that the Los Angeles Lakers star receives at the age of 41.

Garnett asked if Pierce thinks James should retire.

“Yeah, I think he should, man,” Pierce explained. “Just like for the simple fact that at the age that he still receives the criticism that he still does. The greats wasn’t getting this criticism late. Nobody was criticizing Kobe (Bryant) when he wasn’t going to the playoffs in his last year. They was just enjoying his moments. Like, the same with (Michael) Jordan in Washington.”

“For the simple fact that the man is 41, and we still critiquing him like he 25 and should be winning championships still.. Just the criticism he gets still. He still gets criticism,” Pierce continued.

James, who turns 42 on Dec. 30, averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game this season while shooting 51.5 percent from the field. And in the postseason, James averaged 23.2 points, 7.3 assists, and 6.7 rebounds.

The Lakers were swept in a four-game series by the defending champion — and current title favorite — Oklahoma City Thunder, but James and the Lakers had very little chance in that matchup, especially with out for the final three games due to an injury.