NBA

LeBron James announces NBA future plans

Doubts over the LA Lakers star have continued over recent months so the 38-year old made a statement to the anxious fans.

Mike EhrmannAFP

LeBron James ain’t stopping just yet! OK, maybe that was pretty obvious, but he himself - without confessing what motivated those words - raised an unfounded doubt about his future in the NBA. He did it after his LA Lakers were eliminated in the Western Conference finals by the Nuggets, who went on to be the champions of the 2022/23 season.

He admitted in that headline-grabbing press conference that his continuity in the league would have to be considered. Be that as it may, in Wednesday evening’s ESPN awards ceremony, he has cleared up all the uncertainty that could exist around his figure:

LeBron not going to cheat the game

“I don’t care how many more points I score, or what I can or cannot do on the floor,” James began after picking up the ESPY award for Best Record-Breaking Performance. You’ll remember he broke that of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s all-time leading scorer earlier in February.

“The real question for me is: can I play without cheating this game? The day I can’t give everything on the floor is the day I’ll be done. Lucky for you guys, that day is not today.”

James still has a mandatory year of his contract for $47.6 million and in the summer of 2024 he can activate another one in exchange for $51.4m.

Last year he averaged 28.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists with 50% shooting during the regular season. In 2023/24 he will start another at the age of 38 (39 in December) and will compete in his 21st campaign in the most important basketball league on the planet.

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