Is LeBron James Retiring? Lakers Star Says, "It's Coming"

After being swiftly excommunicated from the postseason by the Denver Nuggets for the second straight year, 20-time All-Star Los Angeles Lakers combo forward LeBron James' playing future seems a bit more tenuous than it has in a while.

Granted, he floated a potential retirement when L.A. was swept by Denver during the 2023 Western Conference Finals, too, but he didn't have a player option to decline that year. He does now.

The 39-year-old could theoretically leave $51.4 million on the table and ride off into the sunset this summer. But given his relative level of production and ability, even in his 21st pro season, it seems like it would be a mistake for him to move on just yet. He may no longer be one of the 10 or so best players in the league, but he's still an All-NBA-caliber talent, coming off one of his healthiest seasons in years, as the second-best player on a quality 47-35 Lakers club.

The team had to rally mightily after a rough run following its In-Season Tournament championship, and according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, that took a toll on James, who battled a sore left ankle for most of the 2023-24 regular season's second half.

James noted that he and his All-Star running mate, L.A. center Anthony Davis, are used to the grind.

"We know what it takes to win a championship and how damn near perfect you got to be," James said, per McMenamin. "That's not like something that's so crazy to obtain."

James then proceeded to get real about the looming specter of his playing mortality.

"It's still coming," James said of his eventual retirement, according to McMenamin. "It's not like, 'Oh s---, I'm playing so great this year, you know what? I might play and stick around for even more [time].' No. It's coming."

"It's cool," James added. "Because, to be honest, I don't see myself falling off anytime soon. But then like, what am I doing?"

James noted that, as he eyes his 40s, he does feel inclined to pivot towards focusing on his family, seemingly insinuating that his time with them would take precedent in the next chapter of his life.

"I got a family," James said. "I got a 9-year-old daughter [Zhuri]. I got a son [Bronny] that's in college, that's deciding if he's going to go to college or go pro. I got a son [Bryce] that's about to be a senior in high school. I've missed a lot of family time and they've allowed me to do that and never put no pressure on me."

James continued, noting that he's achieved pretty much everything he wanted to in the NBA. After winning four championships, four MVPs and appearing in 10 NBA Finals, he's got a point.

"That s--- is important too," James said. "What more [is left]? I've done everything I can do. There's nothing I haven't accomplished in this league that I've wanted to accomplish. So like at some point you got to [hang it up]."

Shams Charania, Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported James does indeed intend to suit up, somewhere, for two more seasons. He needs to make a decision on his player option by June 29. The Athletic reporters indicate that James wants to leverage his potential free agency to see how the club intends to equip him and fellow All-Star Anthony Davis with better roster depth, potentially including trades prior to his opt-in deadline.

Charania hopped onto ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" to expound on what he anticipates James will do.

"I'm told LeBron James expects to play up to two [more] NBA seasons, and that would take him up to... 23 seasons in the NBA," Charania said. "From what I'm told and from what we reported yesterday in this piece in The Athletic, the Lakers [and owner] Jeanie Buss, they'll go as far as offering him a three-year, $164 million maximum contract if that's what it takes to keep LeBron James. If he wants to come back on a one-year max, two-year max, three-year max, the Lakers are all-in."

James, when healthy, is probably worth it. Beyond being a major box office draw at Crypto.com Arena thanks to his impressive CV, he remains, at this very moment, a really good player. This year, in 71 regular season games (his most since 2017-18), James averaged 25.7 points on .540/.410/.750 shooting splits, 8.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.3 steals a game. He is one of the most lethal scorers in the league, now at all three levels, and is still a devastatingly clever passer with a court vision that numbers among the best. He cannot consistently play all-world defense at this stage in his life, but he is still capable of mustering his best stuff on that end of the floor in the playoffs, as was evinced over and over again by his lethal coverage on his various Denver Nuggets charges, especially Jamal Murray in switches.