LeBron James expects to finish his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he has not ruled out another transfer before retirement, citing interest from the Golden State Warriors.
James spoke to the media prior of the 73rd NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis and reiterated his desire to remain with the Lakers.
He said: “I am a Laker and I’m happy and been very happy being a Laker the last six years and hopefully it stays that way.
“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.”
Previously, the 39-year-old was connected with a trade to the Golden State Warriors.
“I actually heard about it when everybody else heard about it,” James added on TNT Sports’ show Inside the NBA.
“Sometimes there’s conversations that happen behind closed doors that you don’t even know about it. And I guess until it’s real or not, then they’ll bring it to you. But it never even got to me.”
Whatever happens, it’s evident that LeBron is nearing the end of his dazzling career.
It’s unclear when the 39-year-old will retire, as emphasis has shifted to how he wants his last NBA season to be remembered.
“I was asked this question a couple days ago,” he added.
“‘Will you kind of take the farewell tour, or will you kind of just Tim Duncan it?’
“I’m 50-50, I’m going to be honest, because there’s 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 praise. It’s a weird feeling for me.”
“It will be a weird feeling for everyone associated with the NBA, too.
“I don’t know how it’s going to end, but it’s coming. It’s coming, for sure.”
For the time being, James is focused on leading the Lakers to the playoffs and hopes to play for Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I told myself before the season when I committed to being a part of the Olympic team, obviously it was all predicated on my health,” he explained.
“As it stands right now, I am healthy enough to be on the team and perform at a level that I knew I could perform.”
