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LOS ANGELES — Lakers star LeBron James is unsure whether he will be with the team when the 2023-24 NBA season begins in the fall, and retirement is being considered, league sources told Bleacher Report, TNT.
LeBron has a lot to weigh, sources say.
James is expected to take his time deciding whether he will return for Year 21. He has two years, $97 million left on his contract, but the final year is a player option.
This blockbuster revelation happened after the Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals on Monday night.
After 20 years, if it were for LeBron, the four-time champion and four-time Finals MVP would come out of the game 1st all-time in scoring, after passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar this season, and 1st all-time in playoff scoring with a 2,036 point gap between him and second place—Michael Jordan.
This season, LeBron has MENTIONED a strong desire to play in the league with Bronny, his oldest son, who is a projected member of the 2024 NBA Draft class.
James is still one of the best in the league this year earning a spot on the All-NBA Third Team. In the season, the 38-year-old, 19-time All-Star averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per contest, which finally landed the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals after starting the year 2-10.
Entering the 2023 offseason, Los Angeles has $29.6 million in viable cap space, per Spotrac.
There isn’t much long-term money on LA’s books with only six players officially under contract for the 2023-24 season, including James, Davis, Vanderbilt, Beasley and Mo Bamba.
