LeBron James Is Reportedly Considering Retirement After Cryptic Press Conference
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Twenty seasons of arguably the best basketball we've ever seen any individual play. A nagging foot injury that clearly hampered him throughout the playoffs. LeBron James still went out and hung a 40-10-9 line on the Western Conference champion Denver Nuggets on Monday night, and it wasn't enough to stop the Lakers from blowing a 15-point halftime lead to get swept.
What a bombshell by Chris Haynes, though!!! Didn't see Woj or Shams on this a little past 1 am...where are they!?
I guess I'm not totally stunned that LeBron is thinking about calling it a career. What more does he have left to prove? Anyone who thinks Michael Jordan is the GOAT won't change their mind even if he adds one more title. Now it's a question of whether or not his body will hold up. As pristine as The King's physical conditioning has always been, Father Time appears to be catching up to him even as he still gives us flashes of pure greatness such as a 31-point first half in Game 4 of the Conference Finals.
This retirement buzz is kind of surreal. Feels a little bit like Tom Brady retiring for the first time. One of those believe it when you see it type deals. And of course, TB12 came back for one last ride in Tampa even after he officially announced (er, strongly hinted?) he was done playing. LeBron could simply be in the heat of the moment and weighing any and all options. Retirement happens to be one of them. Making it tougher is the fact that when LeBron is healthy, he can still perform at an elite level.
We'll see what happens with that foot issue and whether he needs surgery. That could be a big determining factor into whether LeBron returns. He also wants to play with his son Bronny James and said he'd do so wherever Bronny was drafted. Soon to be a freshman at USC, the earliest Bronny could enter the NBA is 2024. Maybe LeBron takes a one-year hiatus, then gears up for one last ride during Bronny's rookie campaign. I really don't know. It's hard to fit everything I'm thinking into one post because I just don't want the last image of LeBron as a player getting blocked at the buzzer by Jamal Murray. That can't be it, can it!? LeBron haters will fixate on that play like their mortality depends upon it.
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Anyway it'd be crazy as hell if LeBron retired. My hunch is he plays two more seasons under serious load management, just into his 40s, and walks away. Whatever the case may be, long live The King!!
Twitter @MattFitz_gerald/TikTok
Speaking of LeBron and Father Time, get yourself some Father's Day mercccccch.