{"id":606386,"date":"2026-02-16T14:57:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T14:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/606386\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T14:57:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T14:57:21","slug":"lebron-james-isnt-sure-if-hes-going-to-return-or-retire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/606386\/","title":{"rendered":"LeBron James isn’t sure if he’s going to return or retire"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was\u00a0the perfect\u00a0setting for LeBron James<\/a> to make\u00a0the\u00a0big announcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While every other NBA All-Star<\/a> spoke to the media Saturday, James spoke Sunday, something he has done four straight years. But this time, the league\u2019s signature event was in Los Angeles, where he has played the last eight\u00a0seasons for the Lakers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

James loves a good narrative<\/a>. All eyes were on him. Social media was abuzz.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"LakersJames, who will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, has 28 regular-season games left to figure out his future.\u00a0 NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Would this be the moment we found out if one of the greatest athletes of all time was retiring or returning<\/a> for a historic\u00a024th season?<\/p>\n

No such luck.<\/p>\n

When James was asked if he knew what he\u2019s going to do, he kicked the can.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to live,\u201d James said. \u201cWhen I know, you guys will know. I don\u2019t know. I have no\u00a0idea. I just want to live. That\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n

James, who will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, has 28 regular-season games left to figure out his future.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Will he return to the Lakers? Will he tie a bow on his career by joining the Cavaliers<\/a>, the team that drafted him as an 18-year-old in 2003? Will he team up with Steph Curry, whom he has singled out as the one player he\u2019d most love to play alongside?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Or will he hang up his jersey for good?<\/p>\n

As the Lakers make a playoff push, there\u2019s a shadow hanging over them in the form of a question mark. If James retires, it would be the end of an era. It would mean we\u2019d no longer get to watch arguably the greatest player of all time.<\/p>\n

LeBron James and basketball have been synonymous for 23 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He\u2019s\u00a0still\u00a0the biggest of stars. He was the Olympics MVP in 2024. He was sixth in NBA MVP voting last season. He became the oldest player in league history to record a triple-double<\/a> Thursday against the Mavs at age 41.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sure, James\u2019 stats are down a bit this season after he missed the first 14 games<\/a> because of sciatica. But we\u2019re not seeing the fading of a star. If James retired, it would be the disappearance of a star. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

James is steeling himself for things to come to an end. \u00a0<\/p>\n

He teared up while watching a tribute video in Cleveland. He regularly talks about how special it is to share a locker room with his son, Bronny. He\u2019s taking everything in as though it were the last time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sometimes he\u2019s in the mood to talk about where his head is at. Sometimes he\u2019s not. On Sunday, it was the latter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"LakersIf James retires, it would be the end of an era. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

When asked if he\u2019s still interested in owning an NBA team with the league on the verge of a possible expansion, he was noncommittal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things that I have on the\u00a0table that I could tap into if I want to, that being one of\u00a0them,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When asked if he has thought about what he wants the rest of his life to look like after he stops playing, he didn\u2019t talk about work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cNo, I think what I want to do at 45, 50 and 55 will be a lot of creating great vibes and fun with my family and my friends,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Three years ago during his All-Star media availability, he called the stretch run \u201cthe 23 most important regular-season games of my career.\u201d When asked if he felt a similar urgency now considering his future is unknown, he denied that his impending decision colors anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. We\u2019re gearing up toward the postseason,\u201d he said. \u201cIt has nothing to do with that. Same motivation. Same mind factor. We\u2019ve gotten past the marathon, and the sprint is about to start. I think everybody understands that.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for this season, James said everything is going to come down to the Lakers\u2019 health. He, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have only played 10 games together. Meanwhile, the team added new pieces in Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia over the summer, while trading for Luke Kennard earlier this month.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When asked about the Lakers\u2019 potential to contend, he acknowledged\u00a0he didn\u2019t know their ceiling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s too hard to really say what we\u2019re capable of,\u201d he said. \u201cI know that when we\u2019ve played some of our best basketball of the season, we\u2019ve looked very good. On the other\u00a0side, when we\u2019ve been terrible, we\u2019ve looked disgusting.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Sunday, it was clear James wanted to focus on the present.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He wanted to enjoy sharing the court with Curry and Kevin Durant. He wanted to take in what could possibly be his final All-Star Game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t want to talk.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As he said, he wanted to live.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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