Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, who recently made his 20th All-Star appearance, breaking an NBA record, expressed his desire to conclude his illustrious career as a Laker. Ahead of the milestone night in Indianapolis, James shared with reporters that while he hasn’t precisely planned out how many seasons he has left, he acknowledged that “it’s not that many” and is contemplating the notion of a farewell tour in his final season.
“I also don’t know if I will – I was asked this question a couple of days ago – will you kind of take the farewell tour, or will you kind of just Tim Duncan it?” James referenced the low-key retirement of the San Antonio Spurs legend.
“I’m 50-50, I’m going to be honest because there are times when I feel like I guess I owe it to my fans that have been along this journey with me for two decades plus, to be able to give them that moment where it’s every city and whatever the case may be and they give you your flowers or whatever the case may be. That seems cool.
“But the other side of I’ve never been that great with accepting, like, praise. It’s a weird feeling for me. I never really talked about it much, but it’s just a weird feeling for me. So to go in each city, if that’s the case – I don’t know.
“I’ve seen [Michael Jordan]’s, I’ve seen Kobe [Bryant]’s. I’ve seen a lot of guys. I just don’t know how I’d feel. I don’t know if I’d feel great about it. Maybe the only child in me – maybe.”
James expressed contentment with his time as a Laker over the past six seasons, hoping it remains that way. With a player option for $51.4 million next season, he remains uncertain about the future. “But I don’t have the answer to how long it is or which uniform I’ll be in,” he said. “Hopefully, it is with the Lakers. It’s a great organization and so many greats. But we’ll see. I don’t know how it’s going to end, but it’s coming. It’s coming, for sure.”
Now standing as the player with the most All-Star appearances, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James reflected on the significance of the All-Star Game in his career. “I think as a kid growing up and loving the game of basketball and watching the NBA All-Star Weekend and seeing the Sunday game, I always had dreams and visions if I was able to play the game at a high level and give everything to the game, hopefully, I could be a part of that game someday,” James said.
Regarding his commitment to Team USA at the Olympics, James affirmed that, as long as he remains healthy, he would participate. “If I’m committed, which I am, to Team USA, then I’m going to commit my mind, body and soul to being out there for Team USA, being out there representing our country with the utmost respect and go out and play.”
James has been instrumental in the US men’s basketball team’s success, contributing to two gold medals and a bronze in his international Olympic career.
