LeBron James, known for his vocal activism and outspokenness throughout his illustrious NBA career, remained silent during a post-game press conference last night. When asked if the game could potentially have been his final one with the Los Angeles Lakers, he responded, “Umm, I’m not going to answer that.”
James has previously shown little hesitation when speaking out on various issues both inside and outside of basketball. However, this time around, it seems as though there are no easy answers for him. The Lakers have now lost four consecutive playoff series with James leading the team, including last night’s 108-106 defeat to the Denver Nuggets who will move on to the next round of the NBA Playoffs.
In six seasons playing for LA, James has only managed to win one championship – which came during the Covid-shortened season in 2020. The future Hall of Famer now faces a crucial decision regarding his contract with the Lakers as he must decide by June 29th whether or not to opt into the final year worth $51.4 million, making him an unrestricted free agent instead.
During last night’s game, James showed flashes of brilliance and finished with a respectable 30 points on the board for LA. However, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was able to outshine his efforts by hitting a crucial jump shot in the final five seconds, giving Denver a two-point lead that ultimately proved decisive.
James’ son Bronny James recently entered the NBA draft after completing his freshman year at USC and has left open the possibility of returning for another season with the Trojans as well. LeBron himself previously expressed his desire to play alongside his son in the NBA, stating that “My last year will be played with my son,” back in 2022 when asked about it by The Athletic.
However, things seem less certain now – James claimed he hadn’t given much thought regarding a potential return for what would have been his 22nd season during the post-game press conference last night. Some of this reluctance may stem from Lakers head coach Darvin Ham who is currently under pressure following two consecutive seasons in which LA has failed to win it all, with James himself acknowledging that “it’s been a hell of a two years” working alongside him as the team’s leader.
Despite his initial silence during last night’s press conference, many fans still believe they have not seen the end of LeBron – who will surely want to embark on one final farewell tour around some of the cities where he once dominated playing against opponents in years gone by. The only question now is which jersey James will be wearing when that time comes!
Leave a Reply