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In his age 40 season, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has questions circling his retirement. One of his advocates for retirement is Jeff Teague. On the Club 520 Podcast, Teague explained that there's nothing else for the Los Angeles forward to do in the league.
“LeBron needs to rest a little bit,” Teague said. “Age is actually catching up with LeBron, this is the first time I’ve ever seen it. He’s really kind of slowing down. To me, I’m not going to lie, I think he might really retire after this year.
“I think he probably has a documentary going right now, and they’re probably recording everything he’s doing. I can’t see LeBron having a year where he’s not still top 20 in the league. You can see it slowly declining right now. I can’t see him going next year and being Top 30.”
One of the biggest goals for James was for the Lakers to draft his son. After that occurred, James and his son became the first father-son duo to play in an NBA game at the same time. Also, they were on the same team during that game too. Although the experiment lasted only one game, James himself has had a down year.
Does LeBron James have any more reasons to play for the Lakers?
After winning the 2020 NBA title in the bubble, the Lakers haven't seen much of that similar success. The most they had was the 2022-23 season, where they went to the Western Conference. Still, they were swept by the eventual champion, Denver Nuggets. Regardless, any team with James on it is bound for success. However, this season is proving to be different. Although the Lakers won their first three games, it's been a steady decline, and James's numbers prove it.
He's averaging 22 points, eight rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game. The season averages are career numbers for some players. However, his effectiveness has been limited this season. Even with head coach JJ Redick developing an offensive system around Anthony Davis, the 20-time all-star hasn't had a transcendent impact like he usually does.
For example, in the last four games, James hasn't hit a three-pointer and has gone 0-19 from that range. Currently, the Lakers are 12-8 and have the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. If the season were to end, they would be in the play-in tournament. They would face the Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, or Minnesota Timberwolves.
It's unknown if James has planned a private retirement celebration. James never ruled out playing with Bryce, his youngest son. Even with that, the Lakers forward has left a legacy that will be in the NBA forever.
