Celtics’ Kyrie Irving Eyeing Early Retirement — Or Normal Retirement, Anyway

Although he’s not a huge fan of Thanksgiving, Kyrie Irving could have many work-free holidays in his near future, if he sticks to his current career plan.

Looking ahead in his NBA career on Friday, the Boston Celtics point guard told reporters he only plans to play “until his early to mid-30s,” according to Celtics.com reporter Marc D’Amico. That would abbreviate his NBA tenure at — well, a pretty healthy length of time, actually.

Assuming Irving, who entered the league at 19, played until he was 35 (literally “mid-30s”), he’d clock in a solid 17 years of service. Even if he opted to call it quits around age 31 or 32, he’d still have spent well over a decade in the NBA. That’s not a short stretch of time by any means.

The presence of graybeards like 41-year-old Vince Carter skews the expectation that it’s common for NBA players to continue playing into their 40s, but in most cases players have hung up their sneakers by their mid-30s anyway.

Still, it’s good to know Irving is planning ahead.