LeBron James Quotes Jay-Z After Game, 'Maybe You'll Love Me When I Fade To Black'

LeBron James hopes fans who don't appreciate what he's done for the game of basketball eventually come around by the time he's gone ... and he dropped a classic Jay-Z bar to get his point across.

The King met with reporters at his locker after a near-triple-double performance in a 141-116 win over the Atlanta Hawks ... when one question was about how he still cares after 23 years in the NBA.

41-year-old James -- who had 31 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in his first back-to-back of the season -- explained he would never disrespect the basketball gods ... and he's maintained his time, effort and commitment to be an example for his teammates and the younger generation.

He then quoted his favorite rapper's "December 4th" track from his iconic "Black Album" ... adding, "If you can't respect that, your whole perspective is wack, and maybe you'll love me when I fade to black."

Some social media trolls rolled their eyes at James' reference ... accusing him of rehearsing the line beforehand.

Regardless, it's yet another soundbite that hints he could be thinking about the end of his historic NBA career ... as signs have been pointing to retirement on the horizon.

There's more -- James explained his decision to suit up on consecutive nights ... saying he woke up, went through his gameday routine (which also includes playing golf video games), and felt ready to go.