The Los Angeles Lakers have enjoyed having LeBron James as the face of the franchise for many years. James helped lead the Lakers to an NBA Finals title in the bubble and has been part of several successful teams, but as his career winds down, his focus is squarely on contending.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Rich Paul told ESPN. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”
Speculation has swirled over whether this could be James’ final season, and Lakers reporter Dave McMenamin offered some intriguing clues.
“For those looking for clues, there are a few out there. The Nike ‘Forever King’ ad features a narrator speaking about James’ career in the past tense — ‘They called him the Chosen One … We were all witnesses.’ The Cleveland Cavaliers‘ ‘Classic Edition’ uniform for this season is the same style James wore when he came into the league as a rookie with the Cavs in 2003-04. The NBA schedule makers had L.A.’s first home game of the season and last road game of the season both be against Stephen Curry and the Warriors, a fitting way for the two most important players of their era to have a proper send-off, if James is indeed on his last lap,” McMenamin wrote.
After the Lakers’ loss on Sunday, James shared his perspective on potentially playing his final season.
“At the end of the day, everything has to come to an end at some point. So, no matter what it is, it’s going to be like, ‘S—, I’ll never play again in Madison Square Garden. I’ll never play again in certain arenas. I’ll never play again, period,” James told the media.
James has been adjusting to a new role, with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves taking on a larger share of the Lakers’ offense. Still, he is aware the end is near, and his recent comments could signal that this season might indeed be his last.
He has been very open this year about the physical demands of keeping his body ready for competition. With remarks like these, it feels increasingly likely that the Lakers may be witnessing the closing chapter of one of the NBA’s greatest careers.
