After 20 seasons in the NBA, LeBron James says he’s considering retirement.
LeBron James.AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post/Getty
AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post/Getty
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James has dealt with a number of injuries in recent years, including an ankle injury in 2022 and a groin injury in 2019, both of which ended his seasons prematurely. Chasing his fifth NBA Championship this season, James finished out the year playing on a right foot injury that may require surgery over the summer.
Despite this, the surefire NBA Hall of Famer helped will the Lakers, the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, deep into the playoffs. “I knew I could get to the finish line,” James told ESPN. “Obviously, I knew I had to deal with it and deal with the pain or deal with not being able to be myself before the injury, but there was nothing that made me feel like I couldn’t get to the finish line.”
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
James scored 40 points in Monday night’s loss, showing he’s still fully capable of commanding a game. After discussing a possible retirement, the 19-time NBA All Star acknowledged he still feels like he’s better than “maybe 95” percent of the league’s players.
There’s few things left to do for James, a four-time league MVP and two-time Olympic gold medalist who’s often thrust into the conversation of the greatest athletes of all time. After passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA scoring record earlier this year, James did note one final goal: to be in a game with his son, Bronny,
James' eldest son, 18, now plays college basketball for the University of Southern California and would be first eligible to play in the NBA in 2024.
“I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny,” James said then, adding, “Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him.”
source: people.com
