Basketball: NBA star LeBron James reveals why he could retire early

"The king" revealed he would consider retirement earlier than expected because of his kids. Photo / Getty

Hinting to an earlier than expected retirement, basketball star LeBron James said his kids would be the deciding factor.

The 33-year-old, known as "the king" of basketball, is in the midst of one of his best seasons yet but told USA Today "with his kids getting older he would stop playing earlier than he'd like to".

"I've got a 10-year-old boy [Bryce], 3-year-old girl [Zhuri]. Daddy sidekicks in sometimes. That will be a deciding factor in how long I want to play."

"I've got a 13-year-old son now [LeBron Jr.]. He's in the seventh grade. He's a damn good basket player, too. On this road trip, I've already missed four of his games. That's the thing that kind of sucks," James said on Thursday morning.

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The three-time NBA champion said he had already gone further than he expected and that his future achievements would be merely "extra credit".

"I've been in this spotlight for half of my years. I'm 33 now. This thing started when I was 15. Eighteen years I've been in this light. I've already exceeded everything I've dreamt about."

"At this point, I'm just adding crazy toppings on the cake like my daughter would do. Throw all kinds of stuff on the cake and whatever happens, happens," he said.

However, the 15-year veteran assured the end was not yet in sight and said when the time came "he'll just know".

"I don't know until you make that decision. The game will let you know when it's over with."

LeBron James and children LeBron Jr., Zhuri and Bryce. Photo / Getty

"Retirement for me is like getting engaged. I didn't know if I was ready or not. I just felt it was the time. Timing was right. The vibe was right."

"I never had nobody in my family get married before. I never experienced it. I definitely never had nobody in my family play in the NBA and retire. So, we'll see. We'll see," he said.

The Cleveland Cavaliers player is currently performing at an MVP level averaging 27.2 points, 9.0 assists, 8.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per contest.