Following the team’s sweep at the hands of the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals, Lakers star LeBron James was cryptic about his future, telling reporters that he had a lot to think about before deciding if he would play next season.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin threw water on the retirement speculation the next day, as he reported that James would play for the Lakers next season and was not expected to retire.
For what it’s worth, James’s high school teammates don’t believe he’s done playing either. Dru Joyce III, Willie McGee, Sian Cotton and Romeo Travis, who all played at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School with James, spoke with Access Hollywood about their new film Shooting Stars which will premiere on Peacock and chronicle their top-ranked high school basketball team from the early 2000s.
During the interview, James’s potential retirement was brought up.
“In my opinion, I don’t think he’s retiring this year,” Travis said.
“I hope not, but I think it is really on his mind, and I think he’s really doing some soul-searching. … I think he’s thinking about it,” Cotton chimed in.
While it’s clear that it’s on his mind, it remains to be seen whether or not James will actually retire. While reports indicate that he will return to the Lakers, there still has not been any sort of indicative statement from James himself regarding his future. It will be the key storyline of the offseason for the Lakers.
