Well there you have it folks… enough time has passed ever since the Los Angeles Lakers had their season ended by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals and through all of the insanity that has occurred between the NBA Draft, free agency and summer league, it was somehow easy to forget that LeBron James had actually hinted at a potential retirement after that infamous game four loss.
Of course we’re used to The King leveraging the media plenty by now but this time… this time felt different. James suffered that serious foot injury in the second half of the 2022-2023 season, missed some open dunks in the playoffs and the last play of the year for him ended with Aaron Gordon swatting his shot and sending him back to the locker room.
So yes even though James still has two years left on his contract with the purple and gold (potentially even one with his player option next summer), I think there was at least the slightest bit of fear within basketball fans that he was going to hang it up for at least a bit and watch his oldest son Bronny suit up at USC this year.
But just when we start to count the man out, he delivers. In a heartfelt speech shared by ESPN, LeBron James confirmed that he will NOT be retiring yet.
The crowd erupted into massive cheers because I promise you, NOBODY wanted last season’s playoff loss to be their final memory of James.
In 55 games with the purple and gold last year, James was able to average 29 points, eight boards and six assists. He still hangs with the best of them at 38-years-old and even though he may not move like his prime days, the competitive juices within him are still very much flowing.
Few people were happier with LA’s free agency moves than he was and by making the roster deeper and bringing back key contributors from last year’s squad, James is going to have more help on both ends than he has in a couple of years.
Get ready Lakers fans… it’s not over yet!
