“The most important thing for me is definitely my health,” James said.
And it will be a determining factor in nearly every basketball decision James makes for the rest of his career, both short-term and long-term, for the rest of his unprecedented career. The top priority right now is the playoffs, with the Lakers currently 30-26 and in ninth place in the Western Conference despite winning six of their last seven games.
“We're heading in the right direction,” James said.
He's 39 years old and has played more minutes than anyone in NBA history. If he can return this fall for his 22nd season, and he intends to, he would tie Vince Carter for the NBA record in that category. He claims he doesn't even know how long he wants to play.
For now, it's all about the Lakers and their postseason efforts. He will then decide whether to play for USA Basketball this summer.
“What I told myself before the season when I committed to being on the Olympic team was obviously everything was predicated on my health,” James said. “At this time, I am healthy enough to join the team and perform at the level that I believe I am capable of performing.”
The Olympic problem is a little more difficult.
The Lakers' season could end in April, May or June. If it ends early, James will have more time to recover and prepare for U.S. training camp, which begins in early July, followed by a few exhibition games and then concludes in mid-August. The Olympics will be held. However, if the Lakers do well in the postseason, James will cherish his time off and prepare for the 2024-25 NBA season rather than cram another five or six weeks of basketball into his summer schedule. You might say you're going to.
“I can cover more distance with these tires,” said James, a three-time Olympian and two-time Olympic gold medalist. “But if I'm committed to Team USA, I'm going to give my heart, body and soul to Team USA and represent my country with the utmost respect. And I'm going to leave.'' Go outside and play. ”
He is 132 points away from reaching 40,000 points in the regular season, and is likely to be about five games away from reaching that milestone. Not many records remain that can be traced. James was already a leading scorer and his place in history was secured long ago. He has long said he wants to play in the NBA, where one of his sons, University of Southern California freshman Bronny James, will be eligible for this spring's draft.
“I don't have a plan yet for how many seasons I have left,” James said. “I know it's not that much.”
Does he want a final season retirement tour with farewells in NBA cities, or does he choose to go “Tim Duncan It,” meaning go out very quietly like the San Antonio star? I haven't even thought about choosing it. He never wanted attention.
“I've never been very good at accepting praise,” James said. “It's a strange feeling to me.”
LeBron James said of the rumors that the Warriors tried to acquire him at the NBA trade deadline, saying, “When everyone else was hearing about it, I actually heard about it…It just made no sense to me.'' No. I also heard about it when the news broke.'' 🏀 pic.twitter.com/mPDaAvbfjz
— Terrible announcement (@awfulpayment) February 19, 2024
If James chooses to go that route, he could become a free agent this summer. He has a player option worth more than $51 million next season, and most players wouldn't give up making that kind of money. But with James' net worth already estimated to be over $1 billion and his off-court investments so diverse, it's probably safe to say that the size of his paycheck is no longer a top priority.
“I'm a Laker. I'm happy, very happy to be a Laker for the last six years. I hope it stays that way,” James said. “But we don't have an answer as to how long that will be or what uniform they'll wear. Hopefully, it's with the Lakers. They're a great organization and have a lot of greats in them. I don't know how it's going to end, but it's coming. It's coming.”
