After flirting with retirement last summer, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James reiterated after a Game 5 loss to the Denver Nuggets that he'll consider it again this offseason. Despite a successful 21-year campaign, James sent out a reminder that this season didn't convince him to want to prolong his career.
"It's cool. Because, to be honest, I don't see myself falling off anytime soon. But then, like, what am I doing?" James told ESPN . "It's [retirement] still coming. It's not like, 'Oh s---, I'm playing so great this year, you know what? I might play and stick around for even more [time].' No. It's coming."
James has his own timeline
With a player option this summer, James has a decision to make: to opt in and stay in Los Angeles, where he will earn $49,511,644, or depart to either retire or play with another team. The Lakers have reportedly made it known that they want James to be a Laker, but James once again emphasized that he is running on his own timeline.
"I got a family. I got a nine-year-old daughter. I got a son that's in college, that's deciding if he's going to go to college or go pro. I got a son that's about to be a senior in high school. I've missed a lot of family time, and they've allowed me to do that and never put no pressure on me," James added after putting up 30 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists in 44 minutes against the Nuggets.
"That s--- is important too. What more [is left]? I've done everything I can do. There's nothing I haven't accomplished in this league that I've wanted to accomplish. So, like, at some point, you got to [hang it up]," LeBron concluded.
There's no doubt that James isn't lying or simply creating leverage for himself by indicating that he is close to retiring. After all, he just concluded his 21st season in the league and will turn 40 this coming December. He enters an offseason again with many hard decisions to make but intends to prioritize playing in the 2024 Paris Olympics and being around his family.
Retaining James
In a piece published by The Athletic , Shams Charania, along with Jovan Buha and Sam Amick, reported that the Lakers badly want to keep James and will do everything in their power to make sure he retires with the purple and gold. L.A. is also reportedly willing to draft James' son, Bronny, who declared for the NBA Draft last March, to cater to LeBron's desire to play with his firstborn.
James and Jeanie Buss ' relationship has reportedly been better than ever. So, all signs indicate that both parties can come to a mutual agreement as long as conditions are met—even if James dodged the question of whether or not he's going to leave the Lakers this summer.
The 39-year-old reportedly wants to see how the Lakers approach the offseason and re-construct their roster around him and Anthony Davis . Ultimately, though, the decision will boil down to whether or not he's still willing to conquer Father Time like he did in Year 21.
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