LeBron James expresses uncertainty about participating in his 24th season.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — LeBron James remains uncertain about whether he will continue playing beyond his record-setting 23rd NBA season, but he emphasizes the importance of his well-being.
“Yeah, I mean, I want to live,” James stated on Sunday prior to participating in his 22nd NBA All-Star Game when questioned about his future career plans. “When I have clarity, you all will know. I don’t know. I have no idea.”
“I just want to live, that’s all.”
James largely refrained from addressing numerous inquiries regarding his potential retirement this summer or his career options post-playing days.
He did express a continued interest in joining an NBA ownership group in the future—a goal that could materialize sooner rather than later, as NBA commissioner Adam Silver mentioned on Saturday that the Board of Governors will deliberate on the matter in March—but added, “right now I’m still focused on the present, our season. That’s where my attention lies.”
The 41-year-old reiterated that his priority is the success of the Los Angeles Lakers as a team, rather than his personal uncertainties as he concludes the final, $52.6 million year of his contract.
“No, it’s [not about me],” James remarked. “It’s gearing up towards the postseason, so it has nothing to do with that. It’s the same. Same motivation. Same mindset. We’ve gotten past the marathon, and now the sprint is about to begin.”
The Lakers (33-21) currently hold the No. 5 position in the Western Conference standings.
Despite being 12 games above .500 at the break, through the first 54 games of the season, the Lakers have scored 6,264 points—while also allowing their opponents to score 6,264 points.
“I know that when we’ve played some of our best basketball this season, we look very good,” James noted. “Conversely, when we’ve struggled, we’ve looked terrible. I believe the most crucial factor is our health, how many minutes we can spend on the court, and how much chemistry we can develop as the sprint begins.”
“You would hope to build that cohesiveness during the regular season, but I’m optimistic that if we can get healthy, we can start to establish that.”
James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves have only been healthy together for 10 games thus far, with L.A. achieving a 7-3 record in those matchups.
“The most critical aspect for our team right now is health,” James emphasized. “And I can’t stress that enough.”
Doncic, who has missed the Lakers’ last four games due to a mild hamstring strain, indicated he will play limited minutes in the All-Star game on Sunday.
James is healthy, and Reaves is as well.
This means L.A. should be at full strength when they commence the final 28 games of the regular season on Friday against the LA Clippers.
“Our success will ultimately depend on our health,” James stated. “Our coaching staff is positioning us effectively. I believe they will provide us with a game plan each night, but when it comes to what we have to work with, we need to go out and execute. We haven’t had that opportunity much this year.”
And if the Lakers can maintain good health as they approach the playoffs?
“It is hard to say,” James replied. “Because this is a new group. We added [Deandre Ayton], Marcus [Smart], and Jake [LaRavia], and we just made a new acquisition a couple of games ago [in Luke Kennard]. So, it’s too difficult to accurately assess what we are capable of.”
