How LeBron James Feels About Eventual Retirement Amid Uncertain Future

Throughout LeBron James’s record 23rd NBA season, the league’s all-time leading scorer has kept one thing clear: He doesn’t know whether this year is it. And when he knows, we all will know.

At times, this season has felt like it could be the last of James’s illustrious career. When the Lakers traveled to Cleveland for the Akron, Ohio, native’s only trip to play his former team on their court this season, he was visibly emotional at a tribute video the Cavaliers prepared.

As an upcoming unrestricted free agent, there’s been speculation that he may return to the Cavs for a third stint and retirement tour. Cleveland is reportedly open to that possibility should James want to return. In his eighth season with the Lakers, Los Angeles would reportedly be happy to have him back for another run if he decides to play longer.

James can go where he wants after this season or he could decide to hang it up after year 23. While it remains unclear when retirement will come for the ageless superstar, it’s inevitable that his last game will come sooner rather than later. At 41 years old, James continues to play at an elite level. He’s averaging 21.4 points and 7.0 assists per game for the Lakers who hope to make a playoff push at 37–25 and sixth place in the Western Conference. But, he missed the first month of the season while dealing with sciatica as Father Time has appeared to come into play more than we’ve seen before with the timeless wonder.

Although it appeared in previous seasons that James’s dominance may continue forever, he’s spoke about his future retirement more than ever and he recently shared how he thinks he’ll feel when that day finally comes.

“I kind of look at it like when you lose a loved one and you have a funeral,” James told the California Post’s Melissa Rohlin in an interview. “People tend to be sad, but it’s also a celebration of life. I think for me, when I’m done with this game, it’ll be a celebration of life and not of loss. It’ll be a celebration of everything I’ve been able to accomplish in this game, everything I’ve put into it. The moments, all the love.”

For many NBA fans and even some players, an NBA without James isn’t something they’ve ever known. A post-James NBA will take some getting used to, but there’s still time to enjoy what’s left in a type of career that we’ll never see again. You can look to the myriad of records, four championships, four MVPs and 22 straight All-Star appearances for just a sliver of what James has been able to accomplish.

What’s most memorable, however, is the endless highlight dunks, chase-down blocks, big scoring nights and clutch shots over the years. None of that comes without the preparation that goes into being one of the greatest athletes of all time. And that’s exactly how James wants people to remember his NBA career when all is said and done.

“I didn’t cheat the game,” James told the California Post. “Listen, I’ve dedicated to this sport. I’ve never cheated the game. I’ve showed up every day on time. I’ve put my work in both on the court, off the court. Just showed grace. That’s what it’s about.

“I’ve just wanted to maximize and squeeze everything I could out of the game because I understood what it gave me, my family and everything. So I was never going to disrespect the game gods. Hopefully there are some highlights in there between my years I’ve played this game. But I never cheated the game. Ever.”

Nobody knows whether this is it for James, not even him. If year 23 is the last for No. 23, though, he knows exactly how he wants to go out.

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