In a stunning announcement that has sent shockwaves throughout the basketball world, Los Angeles Lakers’ superstar LeBron James has confirmed his return for his 21st NBA season.
On Wednesday night at the ESPYS in Los Angeles, the renowned Lakers superstar made a significant announcement, declaring his intention to extend his playing career.
Following the Lakers’ defeat in a playoff sweep by the Denver Nuggets during the Western Conference finals, there was speculation about James considering retirement.
However, he has now decided to join the exclusive ranks of only six players in NBA history who have played in their 21st season or beyond. This distinguished group includes Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Robert Parish, Kevin Willis, and Vince Carter, who holds the record with an impressive 22 seasons.
“I don’t care how many more points I score, or what I can or cannot do on the floor,” James said after accepting the ESPY award for Best Record-Breaking Performance for passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s all-time leading scorer.
“The real question for me is: Can I play without cheating this game? The day I can’t give everything on the floor is the day I’ll be done. Lucky for you guys, that day is not today.”
After scoring 40 points and playing all 48 minutes in the Lakers’ Game 4 loss to the Nuggets, James elaborated on his thought process when he stated to ESPN that he needed to contemplate his mindset,”If I want to continue to play.”
“When the season ended, I said I wasn’t sure if I was going to keep playing,” James said. “And I know a lot of experts told you guys what I said but I’m here now speaking for myself. In that moment, I’m asking myself if I can still play without cheating the game — can I give everything to the game still? The truth is, I’ve been asking myself this question at the end of the season for a couple years now. I just never openly talked about it.”
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