For WNBA legend Sue Bird, fans shouldn't put much “weight” on the retirement talks surrounding LeBron James. While the Los Angeles Lakers superstar hinted at the end of their playoffs run that he could hang it up this offseason, Bird emphasized that it's normal for LeBron to think about his future considering the stage that he's at in his career.
Bird pointed out that while she cannot speak for James and what he's thinking, there's always an “emotional aspect” to it. For the Seattle Storm great, it's possible that LeBron only felt some doubt about his future because of their postseason exit and that he could soon reconsider his stance.
“The only person who knows what they’re going through in those moments is that person. Obviously I can only speak to my experience, but I do think there’s an emotional aspect to all of it, right? Like you're exhausted, you just gave everything you have physically, emotionally, mentally, all of it, and it didn’t work out. You end on a loss, and so you’re feeling the emotion and the s**ttiness of that. And I think in that moment, it can really have you questioning a lot,” Bird said of LeBron fueling his retirement rumors, via Hoops Hype.
Sue Bird furthered that a basketball season is always a grind and not as easy as people think. The physical and mental preparation just to go through a full campaign is always difficult, so it's natural for players like LeBron who are at the latter part of their careers to start thinking about potentially retiring.
Speaking about her experience, though, Sue Bird shared that going through an offseason and having that opportunity to think about her future really gave her much-needed clarity on what she wanted to do. With that, she expressed belief that LeBron James will be able to make a decision about his playing career sooner rather than later.
“He knows way too much about how an NBA season goes. So of course, he's going to start to think about some things. I don't think you have to put a ton of weight in it. Because of course, he’s going to be thinking about that now,” Bird added. “That’s just where he is in his career. It doesn't mean he’s going to retire. It doesn't mean he's not going to retire. It’s just kind of where he is, and I think through the offseason, it'll become clearer for him. That's what happened for me in 2021, that offseason, very quickly, it became clear like, alright, I do have some gas left in the tank.”
It's definitely hard to imagine LeBron James calling it a career after two decades of playing in the NBA, especially after a year when they made it all the way to the West Finals. But at the end of the day, it's his decision to make.
Hopefully, similar to what Sue Bird went through when she was deciding to retire or not, James also realizes that he still wants to do it for one more year. Or maybe, if he can, a couple more years so he can fulfil that dream of playing with his son Bronny James in the NBA. There's no better way for him to end his legendary career than to pass the torch to his junior.
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