LeBron James figures to have at least one or two more opportunities to change teams if he wants before the end of his NBA career. If it’s up to him, though, it sounds unlikely to happen.
James revealed on the “Smartless” podcast with Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes that his plan is to retire a Los Angeles Laker, and that he does not want to play anywhere else.
“I truly hope that I can finish my career with the Lakers,” James said, via Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen & Roll. “However many years that is, if it’s four, five, six, whatever, seven, I hope I can continue to play the game. I love being in L.A., my family loves being in L.A. Being with a historical franchise like the Lakers is something… It’s like me being in “Space Jam” — I never thought it would be possible. You think about Kareem, and Magic, and Wilt, and Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, Kobe, Shaq and all of them, the whole list goes on.”
James turns 37 in December, so it’s clear he’s thinking of playing into his 40s. One would expect that James is going to want to play at a high level as long as he’s in the NBA, so this is partly dependent on his body cooperating. Still, it’s pretty clear that any dreams of James returning for Cleveland or playing for another team aren’t likely to come true.
Some may be skeptical that James can contribute to the Lakers for as long as he wants to. Only time will tell.
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