LeBron James to Retirement? Suns Wouldn't be Too Upset
Following the Los Angeles Lakers' elimination to the Denver Nuggets last night, LeBron James was non-committal when asked about his future playing in the NBA.
"Going forward with the game of basketball, I've got a lot to think about," James said after the Lakers' 113-111 loss in Game 4.
At 38-years-old, James is still at the top of his game as he averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists, which is why it comes as a shock that he would even consider retirement.
In last night's game, James scored 40 points, 31 of which came in the first half.
If James is to retire, it would really be the end of an era. He has been the face of the NBA since coming to the league in 2003. James has played in the NBA for 20 seasons and in that span has won four championships, is a 19-time All-Star and surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most points in NBA history.
Despite still playing at a high level, James dealt with a major injury to his foot which kept him out for multiple weeks. At James’ age and the amount of minutes the Lakers are relying on him to be on the court for, it will be difficult for him to play at a high level consistently.
However, when ESPN asked why James feels that he could get back to the explosive player he was before his foot injury his answer was simple.
“Because I'm still better than 90% of the NBA," James said. "Maybe 95."
For the Phoenix Suns, a James retirement would certainly give them more of a chance to compete for a championship in the Western Conference.
Since James has played in the Eastern Conference for the majority of his career, he doesn't have much of a rivalry with the Suns but holds a career 26-14 record against Phoenix.
All eyes will be on James over the next few weeks to see if he will indeed retire.
