James wants to retire with the Lakers! It was revealed that he will play for at least another year: Bryce is a key factor

On May 2, Beijing time, after the Lakers were out, James' future naturally became the focus of the outside world. How much longer will he play? Will he leave the Lakers? Shams gave his interpretation on the podcast.

"Nobody thinks James is going to retire at the moment. As far as I know, he's going to play at least one more NBA season. Think about it, next year, the 2025-2026 season, which will be the 23rd season of his career, which will set a league record of 23 in his 23rd season. The All-Star Game will be held in Los Angeles, where he could potentially compete. If James makes that decision, there are a number of positive factors coming together next season. By December he was 41 years old, and now he is 40 years old. So, it is expected that he will play at least another season. ”

Shams talked about another factor that influenced James' decision, and that was his son Bryce. His son, Bryce, could be eligible for the draft next year, 2026. So, if he feels that sometime next year, Bryce has the potential to become an NBA player and qualify for the draft, will he extend his career? I think that's probably the only thing that can keep LeBron James going any longer. ”

"We saw his response last night, though, very vaguely. Since he was around 25 or 26 years old, every time the Lakers season ended, or the previous Cavaliers and Heat seasons ended, he said that he would spend time with his family, discuss with his advisory team, the people who supported him, and then come back to decide where to go next. It used to be about being a free agent and thinking about which team he would go to, but now it's about whether he's going to continue playing and for how long. Either way, if he comes back to the Lakers, there will be a lot of problems. ”

"He's got a $54 million player option, what's he going to pick and choose? Is it to execute or to give up? I have a feeling that he might be able to exercise this option. Then the question arises, what will the Lakers' roster look like? After all, the 40-year-old James is still playing and has played a lot of time as a center. I don't think he'll do that again in the future, playing as a center forward at 41 and that's not sustainable at this stage of his career. ”

It seems that James will play for at least another year, so will he leave the Lakers?

"He didn't show any signs that he was leaving, leaving Los Angeles at this stage of his career and life," Shams said. Although there are no absolutes, there are all kinds of indications that he will retire there. He has publicly said that he wants to retire in Los Angeles. I understand very well that at the age of 40, as soon as the season is over, he is full of frustration, everyone is asking him, he will definitely hesitate, do I want to continue? The answer is likely to be to continue. ”

"Whenever we or someone else asked him directly, he never said anything like not fighting. But at his age, playing so many games and ending the season in that way, I totally understand the momentary hesitation he had: Am I going to continue? Maybe it's just a passing thought, but it happens all the time in our sport. I'm glad to see that James is willing to take the time to make a deliberate decision about whether or not to dedicate himself again and we're looking forward to it." Bryce could be a key factor, and of course, brownie is just as important. Obviously, Bronny has gotten some playing time with the Lakers, and he's a lot better now than he was at the start of the season, and everyone expects him to continue to improve. But Bryce is tall, fast, and powerful. ”

Expect to see the father and son trio in this league at the same time, or even on the same team. Expect James to deliver a great performance in his 23rd season, as always.