The National Basketball Association (NBA) is in shock. LeBron James (39, 205 cm) has hinted at a possible retirement.
The Los Angeles Lakers lost 111-113 to the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Sunday, ending their season. The series was 0-4. They hadn’t won a game.
LeBron had done enough. He rested just four seconds in Game 4. He finished with 40 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, including a career-high 31 points in the first half of the playoffs.
Denver head coach Mike Malone said, “LeBron showed why he is the greatest player of all time. He put his team on his back,” said Denver coach Mike Malone, tongue in cheek.
LeBron was exhausted. The Lakers had started the season with a 2-8 record, bounced around the bottom of the standings, and made a dramatic turnaround via a major trade.
They’d made it all the way to the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the West and all the way to the Western Finals. It’s been an eventful year for LeBron.
After Game 4, LeBron said, “I can’t call it a successful season. It doesn’t mean anything in my career unless I win a championship.”
He also hinted that he could retire after this season. “We’ll see what happens in the future. I don’t know. I have a lot to think about, to be honest,” he admitted.
When a reporter from ESPN directly asked him to “clarify whether you’re retiring or not,” he was noncommittal, saying, “If I feel like I want to keep playing, I’ll be back next season.”
LeBron still has two years and $97.1 million left on his contract with the Lakers. LeBron has long expressed a desire to play in the NBA with his son, Brownie James.메이저놀이터
He was born in 1984, so he’s old, but he’s always expressed his desire to play for a long time. He’s still one of the best players in the league, which is why many fans were shocked by his comments after Game 4.
“The NBA will be waiting with bated breath for LeBron to speak again,” said ESPN, which analyzed the interview of the NBA icon and top player for 20 years.