Despite contemplating retirement over the offseason, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James ultimately decided to come back for his 21st NBA season.
While no one actually expected James to retire when he mentioned the possibility after the Lakers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, it was still natural for someone who is on the verge of turning 39 years old and has accomplished everything there is in the NBA to wonder how much longer he can keep playing.
But after getting his foot healthy and seeing the moves Rob Pelinka made to improve the Lakers in the offseason, James is feeling rejuvenated for the 2023-24 season and is ready to bring another championship to L.A.
LeBron discussed his motivation for the upcoming season after practice on Saturday and how excited he is about this Lakers team, via Jovan Buha of The Athletic:
“I just think for one, it’s just my motivation to continue to be as great as I can be and solidify what I want to do in my career and still seeing that Larry O’Brien trophy in my mind on a daily basis. So that’s one of the best four moments of my career, being able to hoist up that trophy. So, that motivation alone. But also wanting to be legendary in this game and let my game speak for itself long after I’ve played. But this team has motivated me as well. Coming to practice every day, seeing the guys go to work every day, challenging each other, trying to get better every day. Implement what we want to do. And so, that’s been motivating as well.”
When healthy, James is still one of the best players in the NBA. He ended last postseason against the Nuggets with a 40-point, 10-rebound and 9-assist performance in 48 minutes in the loss and played a big role in the Lakers getting that far despite not being 100% healthy.
Part of what has to have him so excited about this season is the Lakers’ added depth, which should help preserve his workload throughout the course of the regular season to be fresh for the playoffs. That was not a luxury the Lakers had last year when they started 2-10 and had to claw their way up the Western Conference standings and through the Play-In Tournament just to make the playoffs.
With a lot of the post-trade deadline pieces returning and quality additions like Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince and Christian Wood, the hope is that the Lakers will be able to get off to a good start to the regular season. That would LeBron to manage his workload on a day-by-day basis, which has been a big topic of conversation all throughout training camp.
LeBron James is oldest active player in NBA
With the offseason retirements of both Andre Iguodala and Udonis Haslem becoming official, LeBron James is now the oldest player in the NBA.
James is set to turn 39 in December and is followed by P.J. Tucker of the Philadelphia 76ers and good friend Chris Paul of the Golden State Warriors on the oldest active players list.
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