(Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
After the Denver Nuggets eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals on Monday night, superstar forward LeBron James shocked the basketball world by admitting that he’s considering retirement heading into the offseason.
It seems as though 20 seasons may have been enough for James after another long postseason run, which left him empty-handed once again.
Although James’ comments after being knocked out by the Nuggets have been all anyone can talk about on Tuesday, many people don’t believe he’ll retire.
One pundit who believes James is using retirement to motivate the Lakers front office is Chris Broussard of Fox Sports.
Any chance LeBron retires?
“There’s a possibility but it’s a slim chance he retires. He was understandably angry & upset about the loss. It could’ve been a message to the front office, & maybe for the first time he realized he’s not the best player anymore.” — @Chris_Broussard pic.twitter.com/0Ctt7sLgyK
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) May 23, 2023
Over the course of his 20-year career in the NBA, James has famously used his influence to dictate moves made by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Lakers in order to get the talent around him that he feels he needs to compete for titles.
It could be argued that he did just that this season to push Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka to make moves ahead of the NBA trade deadline, which resulted in a lot of movement and an influx of talent that helped the team reach the Western Conference Finals.
James may not be satisfied with the players he’s got around him after this playoff run and wants more changes to be made, or he’ll call it a career, leaving the Lakers in a difficult spot.
This seems like a more likely scenario than James retiring, as he’s gone this route before moving to another team.
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