LeBron James Mulling Over Retirement After 20 NBA Seasons

LeBron James is facing a big decision in his life. After completing his 20th NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers ace is pondering about his future as he is unsure if he will return when the 2023-24 season starts in the fall.

King James hinted at his possible retirement after the Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals on Monday night, May 22. In a post-game press conference, he said, “We’ll see what happens going forward.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know,” he coyly added, without explicitly saying that retirement was on the table. “I’ve got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball, I got a lot to think about. Appreciate it.”

Following the news conference, LeBron was asked by ESPN to elaborate on his statement. “If I want to continue to play,” he said. Asked, “As in next year?” he responded, “Yeah.” When further pressed if he would “walk away,” he said, “I got to think about it.”

LeBron also confirmed to Bleacher Report that he’s going to consider the decision during the offseason. “I’m simply not sure if I’ll be back in the fall when the season begins,” he told the outlet. “I have a lot to think about.”

In August 2022, LeBron re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on a two-year, $97.1 million contract, but the final year is a player option. The contract extension made the power forward the highest-paid athlete in NBA history at $528.9 million, surpassing Kevin Durant in all-time earnings.

At 38 years old, LeBron is still among the league’s best this year, earning a spot on the All-NBA Third Team. On the season, the 19-time All-Star averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per contest. He led the No. 7-seeded Lakers all the way to the Western Conference finals after starting the year 2-10.

After 20 years, LeBron has scored many personal records. He surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time leading scorer in NBA history this season. He also joined Michael Jordan as the only two players with back-to-back 40-point games at 38 years of age or older earlier this year.