In the aftermath of an ugly and disappointing season, there was one question on the minds of every Lakers fan Sunday night: what comes next for LeBron James?
With 19 seasons under his belt, and his latest one being the worst of all, one has to wonder just how close he is to stepping away from the game for good.
Luckily, James addressed the topic in his exit interview yesterday and set the record straight on where his head is at right now.
“How long can I play at this level? I mean, it’s up to my health,” James said. “It’s up to my spirit. It’s up to my motivation. The great thing for me is I get an opportunity now to be around my boys and watch those guys through their AAU tournaments and their summer ball. And that for the last five years has motivated me to come back — just watching them and watching their circuit. I don’t have a cap on how long I want to play. I don’t want to say this or that. My wife doesn’t want to hear that, if it’s longer than a certain amount of years. But, I can still produce at a high level, as I showed this year for sure.”
When it comes to his performance on the court, LeBron hasn’t lost a beat. This season, the King averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game on 52.4% shooting. He is still an absolutely dominant force.
Of course, James also missed 26 games this season — which ranks among the most in his career. For No. 23, it’s all that missed time (and the missed games from Anthony Davis) that is most to blame for the shocking number of losses.
But no matter where you point the finger, LeBron can still perform at a high level on the basketball court and there’s no reason for him to quit now. With the right moves this summer and the right coach in place, it could be all the King needs to lead his team to glory in 2023. We will all find out soon enough.
