- LeBron James hinted at retirement following a 113-111 Game 4 loss to the Denver Nuggets. According to the latest odds from BetUS, James is favored to return.
- The Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the playoffs by the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
- James has previously indicated his desire to play with his son, Bronny James, in the NBA. He has one more year remaining on a two-year $97 million contract with the Lakers.
Has LeBron James played his final game of NBA basketball? According to post-game comments following a 0-4 series loss to the Denver Nuggets, James is going to consider retiring in the offseason.
“We’ll see what happens going forward,” James proclaimed in his final post-game news conference of the season.
“I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ve got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball, I’ve got a lot to think about.”
Lebron James
James’ remarks took the NBA by surprise after a 113-111 loss to the Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena. The four-time NBA champ did not publicly mention retirement during the regular season.
Nor did James indicate any desire to retire before the season started. Generally, in these situations, elite NBA players will announce they are having one final victory lap and then hang it up.
However, James might go about things differently, and retire without any previous indicators. In fact, James previously claimed that his goal was to always wait for his son, Bronny James, to reach the NBA before calling it quits.
LeBron all-time playoff ranks:
— 1st in points
— 4th in rebounds
— 2nd in assists
— 1st in steals
— 10th in blocksThe only players with 10,000 PTS+REB+AST+BLK+STL in the playoffs. LeBron has 13,336. pic.twitter.com/t7iIgc6sDB
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 23, 2023
Retirement Under Consideration For LeBron
It is important to understand that he did not officially state that the 2022-23 season would be his final curtain call in the NBA. There are NBA fans that are already planning a retirement party for him.
On the contrary, 38-year-old James only suggested that he was going to take time in the offseason to consider retirement. If he does call it a career, James will exit the NBA with four NBA titles and a slew of individual accomplishments.
Along with four championship rings, he has won the NBA MVP award four times in his career. Additionally, James has been an NBA All-Star 19 times. This ties Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most All-Star Game appearances in NBA history.
In 20 seasons, and 1419 games, James has averaged 27.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. If this is it for James, he would finish his career with a field goal percentage of 50.5%. James also broke Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA all-time scoring record back in February.
His time in the NBA includes playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and the Lakers from 2004 to 2023.
Was last night the final game of LeBron's career? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/YUyDorNjEr
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 23, 2023
Odds Point To At Least One More Season
As the media storm continues over James’ retirement statements, online betting site BetUS appears to believe that his comments aren’t serious. Currently, James has +850 odds to retire before the start of the 2023-24 season.
With +850 odds, James has an implied probability of retiring at just 10.5%. Crazier things have happened, but oddsmakers believe that the retirement talk isn’t that serious.
If you are looking to bet on James playing next season, then a heavy price will have to be paid. The “No” bet on James retiring is at -2500 odds. For a $100 profit, bettors will be required to bet $2500.
Despite the odds indicating that James will be back in Los Angeles, there is little value to bet on these odds. Lakers fans will feel relieved to find out that the Akron native is expected to have another season in him.
There is an implied probability of 96.2% that James is returning, according to the latest prop bet odds at BetUS. That gives James a pretty strong chance of finishing the final year of his contract with the Lakers.
Bronny James Eligible For The 2024 NBA Draft
James has repeated multiple times that he has a goal of playing in the NBA with his son. In his latest comments regarding the situation, LeBron claimed that it is his aspiration, but it doesn’t mean that it is Bronny’s goal.
LeBron softened his stance about playing with Bronny in the NBA.
(via @mcten) pic.twitter.com/5KQf2Bpi4s
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 23, 2023
In January, LeBron clarified that he wishes to play in the NBA alongside Bronny:
“I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny,” James added, before indicating that this may take the form of playing against him as an opponent.
“Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him,” he said. “But I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would be ideal for sure.”
Earlier this month, Bronny decided to stay close to home for college. The 6-foot-3 18-year-old committed to play for the USC Trojans. Bronny is expected to play a year of college basketball before going to the NBA in 2024.
Mock draft projections have had Bronny falling everywhere from a lottery pick to a second-round selection. There is no clear consensus on where Bronny is going to land. His college season as a Trojan at USC will reveal more.
Bronny is not the can’t-miss prospect that his father was out of high school in Akron. He was hyped up as a generational talent in high school. Two decades later, James has accomplished everything needed to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer and in the GOAT discussion.
While there isn’t anything left for him to achieve, will we see LeBron back for one season to make more history? With one more All-Star Game, he will break Abdul-Jabbar’s record with 20 appearances.
If he does play in the 2023-24 season, the next question will be are we going to see Bronny and LeBron on an NBA court together in 2024-25? Fortunately, you can bet on these odds too.
