LeBron James has become the center of attention in the NBA now that the season has ended, especially as age appears to be catching up with him. Despite that, James delivered some high-scoring performances in the series against Minnesota, nearly dropping 40 points in Game 3. With James seemingly nearing the end of his career, the Lakers are expected to focus this offseason on building around Luka Dončić.
James has faced heavy criticism during this playoff run, particularly for his interactions with opposing players. Some fans and analysts have noted that he doesn't seem like the same competitor in this year’s postseason. Jeff Teague weighed in with a pointed critique:
“Bron ain’t playing for real no more… You the GOAT, but when have you ever seen Bron in the middle of a playoff game laughing and joking… He don’t give a f**k about this sh*t,” Teague said.
James suffered an MCL sprain in Game 5 of the series—an injury that could have significantly hurt the Lakers had they advanced. After the game, James addressed the possibility of retirement.
“I don’t know. I don’t have the answer to that," James said. "It’s something I’ll sit down with my family, my wife, and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens.”
Speaking on the Club 520 podcast, Teague urged James to consider retirement.
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“I wish he retired though cause I don’t like seeing that though with Bron. Like I see Donte DiVincenzo and that's my guy, but was guarding him kind of making it a little tough, like the f**k. Like sh*t that didn’t happen to Bron, I’m starting to see happen,” Teague said.
James has had an incredible career, but after 22 seasons, Father Time may finally be catching up. If it were up to Teague, Game 5 marked the final chapter of LeBron’s storied journey.