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LeBron James is one of the best and most recognizable athletes ever. The NBA star is a cultural icon and is considered one of the two main contenders for the title of greatest of all time.
He’s accomplished nearly everything there is to accomplish in the basketball world. But, he will turn 38 on Friday and is running out of time to accomplish anything else he would like to before having to hang it up.
Still, if he never played another game of basketball again, his accomplishments would be staggering. He is a four-time winner of the Most Valuable Player award. James brought championships to the cities of Miami, Cleveland, and Los Angeles. He has won two Olympic gold medals and was a key catalyst of putting USA basketball back on top. The forward has made remarkable EIGHTEEN All-NBA teams and just as many All-Star games.
But, his four championships are two less than Michael Jordan’s six. While it can be debated just how much being widely considered the greatest of all time would mean to James, he would take away MJ’s strongest argument with a few more titles.
That looks unlikely to happen on his current team, the Los Angeles Lakers. The team won the title in the COVID Bubble in the summer of 2020. But, they’ve been terrible lately. They bowed out in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs and missed the postseason altogether in 2022. And, the Lakers look likely to miss the playoffs again, as they sit at a putrid 14-21 this season. Anthony Davis, brought on to be LeBron’s sidekick, can’t stay healthy. And, the two monster contracts limit the team’s ability to sign competent role players. It seems unlikely that there are any more rings to be won for LeBron in Los Angeles. And, on Wednesday night, he gave maybe his biggest hint yet about his future plans.
Lebron James hinted at leaving the Lakers after another disappointing loss
LeBron is locked into his deal with Los Angeles until the end of the 2024 season after he signed an extension prior to this season.
And, that lines up perfectly with the first year that his son, Bronny James, would be eligible to play in the NBA. LeBron has hinted before at his desire to play on the same team as his son, who is currently uncommitted to a college but is the apple of many top programs’ eyes.
Plus, James probably wants more rings, and that’s not going to happen with the Lakers barring some miracle.
On Wednesday, he sounded off about the possibility of moving on.
"I'm a winner. And I want to win and give myself a chance to win and still compete for championship…Playing basketball at this level just to be playing basketball is not in my DNA. It's not in my DNA anymore."
– LeBron James
(via @kylegoon) pic.twitter.com/3sMXsZsQVf
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 29, 2022
These comments make a lot of sense. There’s a lot of wear and tear on his body, and playing at that high of a level takes a lot of physical preparation. It makes no sense to do all of that when there’s no chance of competing or winning a championship.
It remains to be seen if he ends up playing for another team. But, my money is on the superstar finding a new home once again.