Following the Lakers‘ elimination from the 2023 playoffs on Monday night, superstar forward LeBron James is contemplating the possibility of retirement, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.
During his postgame media session, James cryptically told reporters that he has “a lot to think about” this offseason (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic). Haynes subsequently reported that LeBron is mulling retirement, which the 38-year-old himself confirmed to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
James told McMenamin that he has to consider “if I want to continue to play.” Pressed on whether he’d really retire at this point, LeBron replied, “I got to think about it.”
A 19-time All-Star, James put up his usual huge numbers during the 2022/23 season, averaging 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game in 55 appearances (35.5 MPG) while shooting 50.0% from the field.
He missed time and was affected in the second half by a torn tendon in his right foot, but still appeared in all 15 of the Lakers’ games in the postseason, averaging 23.5 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 6.3 APG. The team’s season came to an end in the Western Conference Finals, where the Nuggets completed a 4-0 sweep.
As he weighs his future following a postseason that McMenamin describes as “taxing,” James will have to consider next steps for that foot injury. Asked if it might require offseason surgery, LeBron didn’t rule out the possibility, telling ESPN that he’ll undergo an MRI to see how his tendon has healed.
Regardless of whether or not surgery is required, James believes he would be able to get back to his usual All-NBA level with a full summer of rehab work.
“Because I’m still better than 90% of the NBA,” he said. “Maybe 95.”
James has at least one year and $46.7MM remaining on his contract with the Lakers, with a $50.4MM player option for the 2024/25 season. He has spoken in the past about wanting to remain in the NBA until at least ’24/25, when his son Bronny James will be eligible to enter the league. LeBron has repeatedly expressed a desire to play with Bronny, so Monday’s comments represent a potential change in direction.
When informed of James’ comments after Monday’s loss, Anthony Davis was initially surprised, according to McMenamin, but then recalled a prior conversation he had with his superstar teammate. According to Davis, when the two Lakers forwards were talking about possibly playing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, LeBron told AD that he may have already retired by that point.
For what it’s worth, one person familiar with James’ thinking who spoke to Mark Medina of The Sporting Tribune is skeptical that the future Hall of Famer will really retire this offseason.
Multiple theories are already emerging among NBA writers, with James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link) among those to speculate that LeBron could sit one season before returning to play with Bronny in 2024.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (Twitter link) wonders if James’ comments are – at least in part – a negotiating tactic to push the Lakers further all-in on next year’s roster. Currently, only James, Davis, and Max Christie have guaranteed contracts, so many offseason moves would be necessary to fill out the supporting cast. One path the franchise could consider revisiting, O’Connor observes, is its pursuit of LeBron’s former teammate Kyrie Irving, who will be a free agent.
While it would be a surprise if James ultimately decides to hang up his sneakers this summer, his remarks on Monday ensure that it will be one of the biggest question marks hanging over the NBA’s offseason until he makes a decision one way or the other.
No he’s not, he’s just mulling how to get more clicks on his name. He wants to (and probably can) play till he’s 45 with Bronny, everything else is just him trying to get attention
I don’t see 45 but you’re correct on the “not retiring”. Dude just had his team get swept in the conf finals. He was just saying crap to get attention. Everyone knows he will stay in the league until his kid gets there….which is bare min 2 more years.
Looks like it worked.
It always works, unfortunately. Like moths to a flame.
If only I were disciplined enough to not even have clocked on this rumor to begin with (no disrespect to Hoop Rumors!)
You really think LBJ cares about clocks for a website, especially one he has nothing to do with?
LeBron is just acting Lebron in acting like everything revolves around him. Instead of praising Nuggets for having a great team that will be in the finals. Everyone knows he is not retiring.
Yes. I do think James cares about his image and being center of attention. Which includes generating news headlines people will read on a plethora of websites.
Does he care about how many clicks it gets? Probably. Think he cares more about it being front page news more honestly.
We’ve known this about LeBron ever since his televised “the decision” to go join Miami.
If this finals hasn’t convinced you that LeBron cares about basketball more than literally anything else in the world you’re a moron
What a joke, ESPN report of their son, nothing on the game, all want more publicity, please play LJ. Lol….
I guess the 5% he isn’t better than must all play in Denver. Tough luck.
I laughed. But LeBron is not wrong. Denver won because they have a much better team around Jokic than what Lebron has around himself.
And the refs couldn’t call a straight game to save their lives.
Reflect, think of all the talent he would have around him, if he didn’t trade them all away. Because he didn’t want to play with young talent.
For as good a player as he is, Lebron is equally as bad at being a GM
Agreed. But the actual GM is also equally bad for listening to him. A good pilot doesn’t let random passengers tell him how to fly the plane.
Do us all a favor and retire. Father Time has caught you
lol what? did you watch game 4?
LeBaby retiring? Nah, he’s just pouting while his posterior still throbs from the Nuggets’ swift butt kicking.
As the little drama queen he is, Bron Bron wants to make it all about him again.
It’s amazing how LeBron lives in so many people’s heads.
Geez the guy just got swept and simply says he has to think about it. Did anyone ever think that maybe he could take a year off and comeback the following year out whenever Bronny is draft eligible IF he indeed shows NBA ability? There’s no guarantee he will be in the nba. I mean LBJ has a tear in his foot and has a couple of doctors recommends surgery. If he feels the Lakers have no real chance to win a title (which I think they do with some tweaking) then he may feel going thru a 82 game season just to lose without making the finals then it’s not worth it. He may comeback JUST to join Bronny , IF he’s good enough. Listen to the rest of the conference. He said he didn’t want to play anymore UNLESS it’s for winning a title. I don’t get all this hatred towards LBJ. I’m not a fanboy but his career is remarkable as he’s the greatest with no one better other than MJ.
Those comments around playing only for a title are clearly a message to the FO and owner, make moves, spend and don’t be afraid of being a taxpayer, he still wants to play IMO.
Even considering that they were swept i think they really had a chance this playoffs. They lost in the conference finals with 3 really close games against the best team of the season. All of that with LBJ hurt and the Lakers having to play the last 20ish games of the season with playoffs intensity because of the hole they were in before.
Hey, Kicksfan. . .: It amazes me that earning almost $50 million could make playing basketball “not worth it.”
And to add to it he might be sending a message to the Lakers. Don’t assume anything. Don’t take your foot off the gas. Make sure you resign Reeves and Hachi and try to add to them. That could mean a 3rd star like Irving or it could mean more depth and key vets .
I agree that it’s kinda a message to the FO. Even if they did a great job at the deadline they also started the season with RW on the roster, wich was a decision from them wich in retrospective hurt them for this playoff run.
My god… almost all the users here bashin LeBron, at worst the #3 best player of all time, the amount of disrespect and hate that social media builds scares me.
He is my fav player ever and still there are things of him that i don’t like, but even if i thought he is drawing attention to avoid being the focus for getting sweep (wich i think is the case) hating on the guy its too much.
Average 29 at 38 I will take that ty.
It’s funny to me, not scary. All sorts of impotent rage about nothing,
I find it more sad
This is a generation filled with hate and a constant need to express it
This is a basketball site where possibly the greatest player might retire in live time and its 95% filled with vitriol
You use to be able to dislike someone and still respect them , that seems completely lost today … funny just isn’t the word I’d use
This generation, except most of the people who hate him are the ones in the prior generations who have their mouths glued to MJ’s butt. The way they act like LeBron is some nobody trying to take shots at the GOAT is honestly shameful and revealing of their true character.
How much hate and anger has LeBron built up on social media the last 3 years?
Why is anyone surprised when an older professional athlete starts to contemplate his playing future right after losing in the playoffs?
I don’t like LeBron, but this is so common anymore it’s barely worth talking about.
Adding to all of that, he had the chance to send game 4 into overtime and was denied, ending the Lakers season. No surprise that he’s gonna be a little disheartened. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that, like any champ, he wants to win.
Right. It had to be demoralizing to be denied there, with no foul call either. Not saying there should or shouldn’t have been, but stars often get calls in those spots.
Heck, when I went 0-4 in a tavern league game I swore I was done, but they brought in this Hunkstrom punk, and it rekindled the fire. Hit a walkoff and THEN I hung em up.
Because he’s said over and over that he wanted to play with his son and well into his 40s. And, even if he’s no longer at his peak, he’s still an elite player.
Now, just because he gets run over by a significantly more talented team (through no fault of his own, I might add), he’s contemplating retirement? Sorry, but I’m not buying it.
I’d bet my entire life savings that LeBron isn’t going to retire. It’s the easiest push I could ever make.
I’m not saying he will, or is seriously going to consider it..once the sting wears off a bit. I’m saying it doesn’t seem odd that an aging star, immediately after getting bounced out of the playoffs, starts to question his desire, abilities, and so on.
And even if he shocks us all and announces he’s stepping away in a week or 2 months from now, it almost certainly won’t be permanent.
As a Lakers fan, I really hope he comes back next year. Got some unfinished business to do.
This season was too tough on him. They have been playing playoff intensity basketball for about 2 months.
Denver rested their players in the end of the regular season. LeBron is 38. The whole team was tired, really.
Playing through the foot injury. The guy is incredible. He’s very frustated with the outcome. The team had a legit chance, if they hadn’t run out of gas.
Next year? We Lakers fans need to recover from the butt whipping Denver gave us. Imagine the players. Tough loss. But they did their best.
Run it back next year. Pay the taxes for going over the cap and get number 18.
Clinch the playoff spot early and give the guys some rest before the playoffs, Just like Denver did.
He still has more stats to break
Not retiring until he can play with Bronny.
Lebron stories bring out the worst people in this community. If you like basketball, then you like LeBron. Anything less is you being a bitter hater who wants to sound more informed than you are by regurgitating MJ is the goat talking points from ESPN. Form your own opinions and love the game. It’s really that easy
That is very one sided. I find LeBron annoying. He feels he is the NBA and wants everyone to focus on him. He flops a lot to get calls. Complains to Refs continuously. Couldn’t even give Nuggets their day and had to pretend he is thinking about retiring. Needs to tell everyone he is the GOAT. Hate him NO. I find his act tiring.
You don’t like what he does off the court. The NBA forced him to become the face of league the minute he was drafted. Him shattering his already unbelievable expectations is not his fault.
The flopping thing really? REALLY? Watch a basketball game brother, it aint just LeBron. Does he somehow control what stories the media picks up? ESPN could have been talking about the Nuggets but they refuse because they know what gets interaction. The funniest part about it is that you haters out there constantly interact with that content, MAKING IT MORE ABUNDANT THE NEXT DAY.
Be real. You need a target. Bron is the biggest target you can find. Its lame and corny. The NBA doesn’t deserve LeBron. At least not it’s fans
“Its lame and corny. The NBA doesn’t deserve LeBron.”
The irony is strong with this one.
Lol. If we like basketball we have to like lebron? What a ridiculous statement. I like humble guys like Jokic and Leonard
Agreed. That statement is one of the dumbest, opinionated points I’ve seen posted.
How do you like Kawhi if he never plays?
On the other side of the pendulum, LeBron is a deity to you who can never do wrong and should be immune from any and all criticism. Sorry, but I blindly worship no one in my life.
Does LeBron sometimes attracts fools and haters? Of course. All top athletes do, unfortunately. It comes with the territory. I wish that weren’t the case for his and their sake. But that fact alone doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be immune from criticism when appropriate.
The fact of the matter is there’s a literal zero chance LeBron is going to retire. If this isn’t a publicity stunt, then it’s an emotional tantrum thrown at a poor time. Instead of the focus being on the Nuggets and the Celtics/Heat, LeBron has knowingly hijacked the conversation for his own purposes. Out of respect for the game which you claim to love, LeBron should’ve kept his position quiet even IF by some miracle he was seriously contemplating retirement.
It doesn’t mean LeBron is a terrible person, and he does a lot of good for the community. But I’m gonna call it like I see it. And this is not the first time LeBron has engaged in shameless self promotion.
Lebron doesn’t help the issue. Laying on the floor for two minutes knowing the cameras are on him due to getting ‘touched’ on a shot in the paint was ridiculous in game 3 I believe vs Denver. He’s drama. Deflects. Leaves when it gets tough.
I won’t take away the fact he is a great player and has accomplished enough for me to think he’s only behind MJ, but that doesn’t equate to your reasoning that if one doesn’t like LeBron, they don’t like basketball. Love the game. Not the player.
Half the posters on this syte don’t care about ball. And don’t understand what balling is. Only here to let out their hate in their souls ……. Therapeutic
Bron isn’t going out like this. Why even talk about it. It’s all about what they do for next yr. Went further than anyone expected. One thing for sure Russell is gone. Do you all know Kyrie was in the building again last night. Lakers will find a way to sign him.
They should trade AD. Back to his home “SoftSide of Chicago “. They at least should listen to offers. Bron window is shut. But maybe with Luck and a few tweaks. They can get to one more Finals.
Denver ain’t going anywhere. And the Suns will be back. So will Warriors. Won’t be easy.
I don’t think the Lakers should trade AD, and I think signing Kyrie would be a mistake. What they need is to find a way to add more depth. They need to re-sign Reaves, whatever the cost. I’m not sure how they maneuver that with the cap, but they need pieces that can contribute on both ends of the court.
I just do not see how they are going to sign Kyrie unless he takes a huge pay cut way below the market. I mean under $10 million a year. Dallas is not doing a sign and trade for D’lo because D’Lo is not getting a big deal.
Soft side of Chicago? Tell me you haven’t been outside the state of NY without telling me you haven’t been outside the state of NY.
PS happy 50th anniversary.
– lifelong bulls fan
I believe it. He only plays for titles and he knows he can’t beat Denver anytime soon. Jokic’s post D was really good on Anthony Davis. Nugs ending lebro’s career
Nuggets will be again the #1 seed in the west since they are bring back almost the entire team next year. The West will be even better next year.
I guess I get the hate but to me it’s kind of refreshing to see an superstar athlete that doesn’t always have a polished image. LeBron has never been one of those cookie-cutter star athletes like Jordan, Manning or Brady who doesn’t “just shut up and dribble”. He doesn’t care if republicans buy shoes too. In interviews he doesn’t give the cliche answers that others do. He doesn’t always think about the consequences of his actions or tweets. He’s outspoken about social justice issues and that always gets a rise out of the establishment.
“outspoken about social Justice…” Greetings from China
He speaks out about stuff that matters to him, issues like police brutality. That’s like telling the person with the “save the whales” T-Shirt that rhinos matter too.
“Greetings from China “
Grow up , your probably fumbling 2 iPhones in your hand right now with the other having the tik tok app open
He is not winning and he knows he can’t win with this team so he wants out!
He’s not going to retire. He wants to play with his son. He’s just trying to get some attention and sympathy.
If he retires maybe then he’ll have time to get past page one of Malcolm X’s autobiography.