Yahoo Sports: Bringing You the latest in sports news and updates

On LeBron James’ 40th birthday, it's incredible to consider that the discussions surrounding the four-time NBA champion revolve around how much more he can dominate the game and which team he will ultimately choose to retire with.

The answer to the second question is easier: LeBron said he plans to retire as a Laker. Here's his quote when asked on Monday, his birthday,

via Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times

.

"That would be the plan," he said of staying with the Lakers. "I came here to play the last stage of my career and to finish it off here. But I'm also not silly or too jaded to know the business of the game as well, to know the business of basketball. But I think my relationship with this organization speaks for itself. And hopefully I don't got to go nowhere before my career is over."

While other fan bases — and a certain owner in the Bay Area — have dreams of LeBron bolting the Lakers to end his career, that was never likely (

and LeBron’s agent squashed that talk

). Any LeBron trade became even less likely when the Lakers drafted and signed his son Bronny (technically, Bronny could be thrown into a trade for LeBron, but that makes a complex deal even more challenging to construct).

As for how much longer LeBron will play, he continues to kick that decision down the road. He understandably wants to get through this season, see how he is feeling, and then make any calls (although it's hard to imagine LeBron walking away without a farewell tour, this is not Tim Duncan we're talking about. However, LeBron's answer about how much longer he might play was interesting.

"To be honest, if I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level probably for about another — it's weird that I might say this — but probably about another five to seven years, if I wanted to," James said. "But I'm not going to do that."

Another season or two after this one is more likely, but the way LeBron continues to defy Father Time, he can go on as long as he is physically able.