There are some LeBron James fans out there who believe James’ exit from the NBA should be even grander than winning a championship in Los Angeles. The sentiment here stems from the feeling that the greatest player of all time deserves a few games in what would be his eventual last season, where he gets to be himself instead of worrying about winning.
Former NBA champion Jeff Teague also seems to be a believer in this sentiment that if James is to get a farewell tour he deserves, it should come without the stress of winning a championship for the Lakers, so that the crowd can only enjoy watching LeBron James play basketball in their city for one last time.
On the latest episode of the Club 520 podcast, Teague spoke his mind on what he believes would be the best way for James to hang the boots.
“I do. I want Bron to have a moment where he retired, where he has a Kobe moment. ‘Bron go for 70. It’s over with!” said Teague when asked if he wanted to see LeBron James retiring in a season where he doesn’t make the Playoffs and only wins like 30 games that year.
“Just Bron having a moment where he just gets to be Bron. Everybody comes to the game and everybody… like think about everybody that went to the Kobe game, bro. The stands were crazy, bro,” Teague further compared LeBron James’ potential farewell tour to Kobe Bryant’s.
“Like if Bron goes to the playoffs, he’s gonna be really trying to win… Nobody’s gonna know the last game. You know what I mean?… Like, I would love for everybody just to pull up to the Bron game. Jay-Z courtside, all the stars, everybody in the building. The tickets cost $10,000 for the nosebleeds. This is Bron’s last game,” said Teague as he explained the ideal scenario in his opinion for James to retire with the entire spotlight on him instead of the Lakers’ playoff ambitions.
“That last game, bro. They played it on ESPN. He had special shoes for it. It was crazy,” said Teague while recalling Kobe Bryant’s last game.
Teague’s co-hosts tried to give an alternate ideal scenario where LeBron James retires after a playoff series against Kevin Durant and the Rockets.
“And then he retires?” scoffed Teague. While his co-hosts argued that James should not be playing irrelevant basketball in his final game, Teague remained adamant.
“But that’s what made it so fire. He went for 60. We left with looking at Kobe like, damn, that man gave these n****s 60 before he left this motherf***er,” Teague further explained. Meanwhile, the other scenario potentially leads James to have his final game in a city like Houston, where no one is as attached to him as in a potential final game in LA or Cleveland, or even in Miami.
In my opinion, James should push to play playoff basketball for as long as he feels best, as the Lakers are building a championship-contending roster around him and Luka Doncic. But if the moment comes that the Lakers are not contending for a playoff berth anymore, then James should use this route and retire after giving his best shot in a final game where everyone passes the ball to James and gets out of the way.
As one of the greatest players to ever touch the basketball, James deserves a guard of honor in his final game. James is currently expected to be sidelined until mid-November, and even Luka Doncic is sidelined with injury for at least a week. If the Lakers somehow miss the playoffs this season, it could be the best time for James to retire.
