NEWSLETTER
LeBron James did something no one expected on Monday night.
After being swept by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer put the future of his career into question.
“I don’t get a kick out of making a conference appearance. I’ve done it a lot. And it’s not fun for me to not be a part of getting to the Finals. But we’ll see. We’ll see what happens going forward,” James said after the 113-111 loss. “I don’t know. I don’t know, to be honest. I got a lot to think about moving forward. Just for me personally, going forward with the game of basketball, I got a lot to think about.”
As hard as it is to believe that LeBron James would actually leave the NBA, particularly after an ugly playoff exit, no one can deny that the end of his career is creeping up. The 38-year-old has been a part of the NBA for two decades. And Carmelo Anthony officially joining both Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in retirement this week is a reminder of James’ fight with father time.
Chris Haynes also went on to confirm that James’ comments were genuine. The superstar reportedly told Bleacher Report that he will need to think things over before he can commit to being at Lakers training camp in September.
“I’m simply not sure if I’ll be back in the fall when the season begins,” James told Bleacher Report. “I have a lot to think about.”
James is expected to take his time in deciding if he’ll return for Year 21. He has two years, $97 million remaining on his contract, but the final year is a player option.”
LeBron James has been extremely vocal about his goal to play alongside his son Bronny one day. After committing to USC a few weeks back, that dream is closer to becoming a reality if the oldest James son can find a way to go one-and-done. Still, James can’t control where Bronny ends up come draft night. This is seemingly why the final year of his contract in 2024-25 is a player option, thus allowing him to hit free agency and head wherever his son is selected.
At the same time, these comments make it hard not to wonder if that goal remains. I suppose he may take a year off before returning to the league to accomplish his mission, but that would still undoubtedly be considered a shocking decision.
There is no question that this will be the talk of the town until James sets the record straight. A decision to move on from basketball would leave the Lakers in limbo and the NBA without the face it’s had since 2003.
