The season didn’t end how the Los Angeles Lakers would’ve liked following an early exit from the NBA playoffs.
The Lakers had a 2-1 series lead over the Phoenix Suns in the first round, but aspirations of advancing to the next stage quickly vanished after Anthony Davis suffered a groin strain in Game 4.
Games 5 and 6 didn’t go Los Angeles’ way at all; Phoenix controlled both games in lopsided affairs, though L.A. made a comeback in Game 6 to make the score look respectable.
It was also a disappointing season for LeBron James, who missed 27 games in the second half of the season with an ankle sprain that never returned to full health, according to James.
These factors left questions on James’ status. The 36-year-old forward will turn 37 in December, and his contract expires after the 2022-23 season when he’s 38.
No one knows what will happen a few years from now, but what team James ends his career with is a question on Stephen A. Smith’s mind.
On ESPN’s KJZ, Smith said he believes James will end his career as a Laker:
“I believe so. I believe the only place he would ever go back to is Cleveland, and I can’t see that happening. But I think this is it. Especially because Anthony Davis is here. LeBron has a lot to do with that. That’s the guy LeBron wanted.”
Smith went on to say he has doubts about the James-Davis pairing lifting another trophy together unless there is another star player that can help them out, but that shouldn’t play a decisive role in James pursuing other options.
Recently, the NBA fined Miami Heat president Pat Riley for saying he would be open to a reunion with James down the road. James won two titles with the Heat in 2012 and 2013, but it’s uncertain if the 18-year veteran would return there with everything going on in L.A. now.
With ‘”Space Jam: A New Legacy” hitting theaters in July, it’s plausible James would remain in Los Angeles because of the proximity to Hollywood. Only time will tell where James’ phenomenal career concludes.
Check out the full conversation above, courtesy of ESPN’s YouTube channel.
