By Jordan Long
The L.A. Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals in 4 games. This series was more competitive than the box score. In game 1 Denver won by 6. Game 2 Denver took the game 108-103. Game 4, Denver escaped with a 113-111 victory sending them to the NBA Finals for the first time in their history. L.A., on the other hand, is now in the offseason. Questions are swirling about if LeBron James had played his last game in the NBA.
James entered the league in 2003 as the 1st overall pick by Cleveland. In his rookie year, James averaged 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game, a taste of what he was going to do in the NBA. He took home Rookie Of The Year honors. James would stay in Cleveland for the next 6 seasons. His top year for Cleveland was in 2008 when he averaged a career-best 30 points per game. In 2009, he took home his very first regular season MVP award. Cleveland earned a playoff spot 5 times. In 2007, James helped them go all the way to the NBA Finals. They were swept by the San Antonio Spurs.
In the offseason of 2010, there was anticipation about where James would go. On July 8th, 2010 he decided to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, creating a superstar team. James spent 2010 to 2014 with the Heat. Miami won the NBA Championship in 2012 and 2013. While in Miami, James suited up in 294 regular season games for the Heat, averaging 25.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game. James would also appear in 87 postseason games for the Heat, scoring 26.9 points per game.
James decided to come back to Cleveland on July 12, 2014. It was a 2-year contract, worth $42 million. James ended up staying until the end of the 2018 season. Cleveland won the NBA Championship in 2016, overcoming a 3-1 series deficit to the Warriors.
At the end of 2018, James was once again a free agent and signed with the L.A. Lakers. The Lakers won the NBA Championship in the Bubble setting in 2020.
Once the Lakers lost in game 4, there is a chance James will walk away from the game. His contract has 2 years left on it before free agency in 2025.
The truth is, James may retire. He is 38 years old. James accomplished a lot during his time in the NBA. He won 4 Championships and was the MVP of all of them. James has also been voted into the All-Star Game 19 times and has been the regular season MVP 4 times.
James is number 1 all-time in points in the regular season and playoffs. In the regular season, James scored 38,652 points. In the postseason that total is at 8,023. To this point, James has averaged 27.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game in the regular season. In the postseason James suited up in 282 games, averaging 28.5 points, 9 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game.
There is nothing for James to play for. He will be in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame once his career is over. The time has come for him to step away. The only reason to keep playing is to honor his contract. James may take his time to make the best decision. It could take him a few weeks to reflect on not only this year but his NBA career.
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