LeBron James at odds with Lakers, uncertain on retirement

NEW YORK — One thing needs to be made clear: Lakers star LeBron James’ future beyond this season is still uncertain. 

And if you take James’ word for it, even he doesn’t know whether he’ll retire after 2025-26.

But if James did retire after this season, Sunday’s loss to the New York Knicks would’ve been his last game at Madison Square Garden — “The Mecca of Basketball” where James has created a plethora of memories during his league-record 23 seasons in the NBA.

“At the end of the day, everything has to come to an end at some point,” James responded when asked whether Sunday could’ve been his last game at MSG. “No matter what it is, it’s going to be like, ‘I’ll never play again in Madison Square Garden. I’ll never play again in certain arenas. I’ll never play again, period.’

“So, at that point it doesn’t matter. You’re going to always miss it. You’re going to miss the game in general. This one will always have a special place in the journey because it is Madison Square Garden.”

Retirement has been a topic that James has more candidly spoken about during the Lakers’ “Grammy” road trip.

Especially after the Lakers’ loss to the Cavaliers last Wednesday, which was their lone stop in Cleveland, the city James grew up 30 miles south of and spent 11 seasons in, the topics of retirement and his future dominated his 15-minutes postgame media availability. 

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“I’m just trying to take everything in, not take the moments for granted,” James said. “Because it could be [my last season]. I obviously haven’t made a decision on the future, but it very well could be.”

James was even more straightforward when he said, “I don’t know what the future holds.”

The 41-year-old James is in the final year of his contract with the Lakers and slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. He’s no longer at the center of the Lakers’ current or future plans.

“I have not even thought to the point of a farewell tour or whatever the case may be,” James said, “Because I haven’t had the conversation with myself and my family on when is it over? So…I think that will come after that.”

That was James’ first public mention of a potential “farewell” tour in nearly two years, with many around the league thinking it’s a foregone conclusion James would want the celebration on his way out of the league. And that if he didn’t announce it before or early this season, it would guarantee he’d be back for 2026-27.

But after being in the spotlight for nearly a quarter of a century, the peace of a more natural retirement may have its appeal to James. 

Part of James’ response when asked what he appreciates about golf, a hobby he picked up last summer, was illuminating. 

“It’s very rare for me to be able to just get away and not be bothered,” James said. “And if you play golf, it’s one of the places where you just are not allowed to be bothered.”

If you listen to James speak about his future, he still sounds like someone enjoying the process. Someone hell-bent on decisively winning his battle with Father Time, showing he can play at a high level regardless of his advanced age. Or how many miles he puts on his body. 

“My why has been that I’m still playing this game at a high level and I still love the process,” James said. “The process of putting in the work, inspiring, giving what I got to the game because I’ll have more years in my life without it than with it to be able to inspire.

“Now, obviously, the question gets asked more and the thought creeps in my mind more at 41 years old of when the end is. And where’s the finish line for us to hang this thing up. I’m in a battle with Father Time and I’m taking it personal, and I’m seeing how many more times I could be victorious over him.”

And other times, he’s given us breadcrumbs to believe his journey as an NBA player could end after this season. 

There was the Instagram story post about Toronto in early December – the city nicknamed “LeBronto” because of James’ years-long dominance over the Raptors – following the Lakers’ lone trip to the city. 

There were the tears shed during the Cavaliers’ tribute video for him. 

What decision James makes for his future after this season is ultimately a guessing game. For everyone – including James himself. 

What isn’t a guess is that his NBA career is coming to an end. And he’s given reason to believe soon could be as soon as after this season.