King, The Chosen One, G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time)—these are all nicknames that describe arguably one of the greatest basketball players to step on the court: LeBron Raymone James. His greatness on the court is undeniable, along with his unparalleled longevity that continues to assert his status as the best of all time. However, after concluding his 23rd season with a disappointing 4-0 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, sports fans are beginning to ask the question: what does LeBron really want next?
“LeBron James has won every single basketball accolade there is,” Tiger Moon (10), NBA superfan, said. “There isn’t an award or achievement he hasn’t already got over his long career, and I am beginning to wonder what is driving him to keep playing after 23 seasons in the league.”
LeBron first made history as one of the few basketball players to be drafted directly from high school to the NBA, skipping college entirely. His high school games sold out stadiums, with front row seats packed with A-list celebrities and NBA players who all came to watch an 18-year-old from Akron, Ohio, dominate both offensive and defensive positions. After he was drafted to his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, he made an immediate impact, averaging 20.9 points per game at the fresh age of 19. His dominance continued throughout his career, as he won championships for each of the three organizations he was part of.
The future of LeBron’s career is the among main points of contention in basketball discussions, especially as LeBron’s age is also starting to creep up on him. A 41-year-old player performing at the level LeBron does now is something one may observe once in a lifetime. This leads to the question: can LeBron give one more season?
The Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron’s current team, were completely swept in the second round of the NBA playoffs by the Thunder with four straight losses. With sweeps traditionally signaling a team’s complete lack of ability to compete at the highest level, many fans speculate LeBron’s old age as a cause for the Lakers’s trailing records.
“LeBron is way too old to be the one option for the Lakers,” Joshua Han (10), avid basketball fan, said. “Even if the Lakers had their star players like Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves injured for most of the season, there were other options such as Rui Hachimura, not a 41-year old man who doesn’t play defense.”
Lebron James has already achieved anything a basketball player could wish for, with countless championships, MVPs, and records that surpass all others. Yet, as time passes with the 23 seasons he was a part of, the question is no longer, “is he great?” Rather, it is “how much longer can he maintain this?” Whether LeBron is pursuing another championship or waiting until his second son, Bryce James, to enter the league, it is still unknown.
