LeBron James doesn’t know how he wants to bring his illustrious NBA career to an end (Image: Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
LeBron James is unsure how he wants to end his illustrious NBA career.

The 39-year-old is competing in his 21st season and just appeared in his 20th straight All-Star game, which is now a record. During his time in Indiana for the 73rd edition of the prestigious event, the Los Angeles Lakers shared his thoughts on the way he could exit the game of basketball.

In various sports some players have planned their retirement ahead of time, giving fans, their colleagues and members of the media the opportunity to bid them farewell and honor them accordingly. Others have quietly walked away once the season is over, just as San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan did in 2016.

Speculating on his future, James told reporters: “I’m 50-50, I’m going to be honest, because there are times when I feel like I guess I owe it to my fans that have been along this journey with me for two decades plus.

“To be able to give them that moment where it’s every city and whatever the case may be and they give you your flowers or whatever the case may be. That seems cool. But the other side of that, I’ve never been that great with accepting like praise. It’s a weird feeling for me.”

Despite his age, the four-time champion is showing no signs of slowing down as he goes in pursuit of another title to add to his impressive resume. He is averaging 24.8 points, 7.8 assists and 7.2 rebounds this season, shooting 52 percent from the field, and 39.5 percent from beyond the three-point line.

James has won one title with the Lakers and, at this moment, he has no intention of playing for another franchise. “I am a Laker, and I’m happy and have been very happy being a Laker the last six years, and hopefully, it stays that way,” he added. “But I don’t have the answer to how long it is or which uniform I’ll be in. Hopefully [it] is with the Lakers. “It’s a great organization, so many greats. But we’ll see.”

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James competed in his 20th All-Star game on Sunday night ( Image: Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
The Lakers’ first game after the All-Star break will take place against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on Thursday night. In their most recent meeting in late January, the Lakers edged the Warriors 145-144 in double overtime, when James registered 36 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists.

Had the 2022 NBA champions had their way, the basketball icon could have been wearing blue, white and gold following the trade deadline. According to ESPN, the Warriors approached the Lakers in an audacious bid to bring the former league MVP to San Francisco. However, it was rejected by both the franchise and James himself. Furthermore, James himself previously expressed his desire to play with Warriors and superstar Stephen Curry, which would be a dream NBA duo.

“In today’s game, there’s some m***********s in today’s game, but Steph Curry, he’s the one that I wanna play with for sure, in today’s game,” James said on an episode of HBO’s The Shop in June 2022. “I love everything about that guy. Lethal. When he get out his car, you better guard him right from the moment he pulls up to the arena. You might wanna guard him when he gets out of the bed. Swear to god. He’s serious.”