There weren’t many individuals who expected Los Angeles Lakers phenom LeBron James to remain in the NBA in his 40s.
Somehow, the four-time NBA champion is still a top-scoring option despite leaving his prime in the past.
James’ recent eye-opening retirement admission involving San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama sheds light on what his future in the NBA could look like after completing his 22nd season in the big leagues.
“I don’t know, man,” James said when asked about retirement during the Fanatics Fest event in New York. “I can’t play that much further. The more and more time I play as long as he (Wembanyama) keeps smacking my (expletive) shots into the stands, it’s going to make me retire.”
James expressed the second portion of his statement jokingly, but it could hint at a deeper issue that could cause the 21-time All-Star to retire soon.
While James will always have the luxury of falling back on his high IQ, on-target passing, and leadership qualities, his athleticism is what has made him challenging to match up against over the years.
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From executing riveting chase-down blocks to sky above his competition on the offensive end while getting his head above the rim, James has undoubtedly created stress for opponents on the hardwood.
With the future Hall of Famer moving backward in the vertical leaping department at age 40, it would be reasonable for him to have doubts about continuing his remarkable 20+ professional basketball career.
A player like Wembanyama, who averaged 3.8 blocks this season, will start licking their chops in the paint if James continues to decline athletically.
Still, it’s impressive that the former Cleveland Cavaliers star averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds on encouraging shooting splits in Year 22.
From the sounds of it, we’ll get to witness James in action for at least another NBA campaign.
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