NBA
LeBron James teases retirement after agreeing new $104m Lakers deal
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LeBron James has admitted retirement could soon be on the cards despite agreeing to a new $104million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 39-year-old basketball legend has extended his stay in LA after being joined there by his son Bronny, who was selected by the Lakers with the 55th pick in the second round of last month’s NBA Draft.
Just days after Bronny’s historic moment, reports emerged claiming his dad has also penned fresh terms with the franchise after opting out of the final year of his previous contract.
LeBron is now set to remain a Lakers player for the next two years and make history by forming the NBA’s first ever father-and-son duo with his eldest boy.
However, he has also dropped a major hint that this deal could prove his last as an NBA player.
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When asked by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin if that could be the case, LeBron replied: ‘I mean it could be.
‘I’d never sit up here and say, “Oh um maybe not.”
‘Yeah, it could be. Easily. But we’ll see what happens.’
Bronny enters the NBA with almighty pressure on his shoulders as the son of one of the greatest players to ever grace the sport.
The 19-year-old is not expected to reach the same heights as his father, nevertheless, after only playing one year of college basketball at USC.
Yet according to LeBron, his son obtains one weapon that he lacked when he first burst onto the scene.
‘I don’t know if people really understand Bronny,’ the four-time NBA champion said. ‘He doesn’t care. I actually care a little bit.
‘When I came in (as a rookie), I wanted people to like me and some of the things that people were saying about me kind of bothered me early on in my career… he doesn’t give a f***.
‘He does not care about nobody. He doesn’t even listen to that stuff. He’s like the coolest. He’s like the complete opposite of his dad.
‘His dad will say something (to address the critics). Bro does not care… everything that’s being said about him, he really does not care.’