LeBron James, 39, ended his season amid the sound and fury of a completely electric Denver Nuggets arena last night in Colorado. Beaten by the reigning champion (108-106) after an intense battle with a long uncertain outcome, “King” LeBron and his Los Angeles Lakers team are now on vacation. Where will the best scorer in NBA history be when group training resumes in October? The question arises because the main person concerned has not yet answered it.
“I haven’t made any decision,” he assured after the defeat in Denver yesterday. Right now I just want to go home and enjoy my family. When I look at the calendar, one of my sons might be drafted, the other is playing basketball, my daughter is playing volleyball, and my wife is doing amazing things too. And I’m going to have to rest to be ready for the training camp in two months with Team USA (editor’s note: for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in which he will participate). »
A year worth 50 million or a contract with his son
LeBron James has the king’s pick. He can first extend his contract in Los Angeles, at his discretion. He benefits from a “player option” (which the player can activate or not) for a final year worth more than $50 million. Will he do it or did he play his last game last night in the yellow Lakers jersey? “I’m not going to answer this question,” he smiled mischievously last night at a press conference, before getting up and leaving the premises… He can also decide to sign elsewhere, in another franchise. One last possibility could lead him towards retirement but it is not the most likely outcome.
“I think we’ll see him next year and he might still have two or three years under the hood,” his agent Rich Paul said this week. He devoted more than half of his life to basketball. We put more pressure on his shoulders than on anyone else. And he is still in a position to win. When we talk about it between us, I tell him to have fun, to enjoy, because there are fewer seasons ahead of him than there are behind. »
Despite the weight of the years, LeBron James is still in Olympic form. While he will play the Olympics this summer with Team USA, this spring he became the first 39-year-old player to average 40 minutes per match in the play-offs… Last night, he came very close to a triple-double (30 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists).
“I would like to finish at the Lakers”
His healthy lifestyle and exceptional constitution make him a difficult phenomenon to understand, capable of physically leaving his mark on his opponents at almost 40 years old, which he will turn in December. “I would like to finish my career at the Lakers, because it’s a great franchise, but I don’t yet have an answer to when and with what jersey I will finish,” he also declared on the sidelines of the All-Star Game in February.
To find out, we may have to wait for the NBA Draft, scheduled for June 26 and 27. His son Bronny (19 years old) should probably attend. And LeBron has long made it known that he would very much like to accompany him in his professional debut. “My last year I will play it with my son,” he declared two years ago. Wherever Bronny is, that’s where I’ll be. I will do whatever it takes to play with my son for a year. And at this point, it’s not about the money. »
LeBron has since been less categorical, but he has until June 29 to activate or not his final year of contract with the Lakers. The suspense could therefore stretch until the two Draft evenings organized by the NBA in New York a few days earlier. Depending on his son’s destination, he could set sail and land in a new franchise, after having already passed through Cleveland (twice) and Miami. According to American media The Athletic, the Lakers would also be ready to draft Bronny to be able to keep the dad…