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While Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is agonizing over an uncertain future, NBA 'legend' Charles Barkley has given James heartfelt advice.
American media, including SI.COM, recently appeared on ESPN analyst Shannon Sharp's podcast on the 7th (Korea Standard Time) and said, "I hope James will retire soon because I didn't like the way I retired."
Barkley said, "I remember thinking to me for two years before I retired, 'I'm going to have a good year and retire,' but soon I realized I couldn't compete with younger players anymore."
Barkley therefore said, "I hope James will retire when he thinks he can still play."
Barkley had insisted on playing in the pro basketball league by delaying retirement, but played only 42 and 18 games, respectively, over the last two years. His scoring capacity was around 10 points.
As a power forward, he had a hard time fighting under the basket with young players.
In the end, he regretted not retiring at a time when he was confident he could keep playing.
However, after announcing his second retirement, Michael Jordan returned three years later and played 60 and 82 games, respectively, for the past two years. He also scored around 20 points on average, showing off his robustness. Jordan continued to play until age 39.
James, who turns 40 in December, declined to answer questions about his plans for the 2024-25 season after the Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets last week.
The four-time NBA champion averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.3 rebounds in 71 games this season, following Currim Abdul-Jabbar's career-high scoring record last season. He has proven that he still plays at an elite level.
James has a player option worth over $50 million next season. If he wants to continue playing for the Lakers, he will exercise his player option, otherwise he can declare himself an FA.
James had previously said he would retire after playing for the same team as his son Bronny, who will appear in the rookie draft in June, but recently took a step back, saying, "That's not the top priority."
While the Lakers will reportedly review the issue of naming Bronny to keep James afloat, attention is being paid to what choice James will make.
BY: 사설 토토사이트