LeBron James is reaching the stage in his career where he has to start thinking about retirement and where he wants to end his career.
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It looks the answer for that is staying in Los Angeles and riding out the last of his days in Southern California, donning the storied purple and gold.
LeBron James still hasn’t made it clear when exactly he plans to tie up his laces and finish his career, but it does seem like he wants to make sure he ends it with the team he’s currently on, if possible.
LeBron’s family lives in LA, and he’s built up quite the community and vibrant lifestyle which he probably wouldn’t want to change in his later years. He’s had some legendary years with the Cleveland Cavaliers but now he wants to make Los Angeles his mainstay.
Following Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 42 PTS in Game 2 and 41 PTS in Game 3, we look back at the last player to score 40+ PTS in back-to-back NBA Finals games.. LeBron James in 2016! #NBAVault
LeBron: 41 PTS in Games 5 & 6 pic.twitter.com/EIpj4lLJA8
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) July 12, 2021
LeBron James Hopes His Career Can End With The Los Angeles Lakers
The King still doesn’t know if he’s four, five, six, or even seven years away from retiring, but he’s made up his mind about which city he wants to stay in.
“I truly hope that I can finish my career with the Lakers,” James said. “However many years that is, if it’s four, five, six, whatever, seven. I hope I can continue to play the game. I love being in L.A.”@KingJames on wanting to retire a Laker
@CBSSportsNBA | #Lakeshow pic.twitter.com/Dn4kBLuAZr
— SHOWTIMEFORUM (@showtime_forum) July 12, 2021
When LeBron made the decision to leave Cleveland in 2019, many knew that it was a decision made so that he could win more championships and compete on a big market team.
However, part of his decision was also centered around his future in the league and the future of his family. He moved his kids to top tier basketball high schools in Sierra Canyon, and his family has become acclimated to the LA lifestyle.
LeBron doesn’t want to uproot all of that when he’s pushing 40 years old. At that point, he’ll want stability more than anything, and after years of moving around in the league, LA offers him the best chance to achieve that.
James has shown no signs that he’s fallen off a cliff yet. Yes, he did sustain the worst injury of his career this year, but all in all, he’s still one of the best players in the league, someone you can win an NBA title with.
