The Los Angeles Lakers lost in four games to the Denver Nuggets, putting an end to a roller-coaster of a season that still gave the fans high hopes.
Notably, the biggest headline isn’t that the Lakers are no longer in contention or even that the Nuggets made it to the NBA Finals for the first time ever.
Instead, everybody’s talking about LeBron James reportedly contemplating retirement for the first time in his career.
However, as big a deal as that could be, Skip Bayless doesn’t think James is going to walk away from the game right now.
“There is NO way LeBron James is going to retire, in my humble estimation, at this moment.” — @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/FaHUI5lVza
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) May 23, 2023
Bayless cited that James isn’t going to retire unless there’s a health issue, citing that he could’ve taken a page out of Aaron Rodgers’ book.
Per Bayless, this might as well have been a tactic to shift the narrative and make people talk less — if at all — about the Lakers’ shortcomings and more about him.
He also thinks this could be a tactic to get people to praise him and show him how much they love him, once again citing Rodgers’ mindset as a potential inspiration.
James had never hinted at retirement.
If anything, he once claimed he wanted to play side-by-side with his elder son, Bronny, who’s currently a top prospect ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft.
But Father Time is undefeated, and James did look exhausted during the playoffs.
James has played at an elite level for two decades and there’s nothing left to prove or win anymore at this point, so it’s only normal that he contemplates his future.
NEXT:
Brian Windhorst Gives His Thoughts On LeBron’s Retirement Talk
