Chicago (USA), (EFE). – 38 years old, with four rings in his window, LeBron James The undisputed leader as he enters the 21st season of his storied NBA career Los Angeles Lakers Last summer, at his own initiative, he dispelled rumors about his possible retirement and made the 2024 Paris Olympics the main target for “Team USA.”
After being eliminated in the finals Western Conference For the Denver Nuggets, James surprisingly didn’t close the door on a potential retirement during his press conference.
those closest to king james They didn’t take it as a real alarm, and after weeks of reflection with his family, the Los Angeles leader realized he still wanted to put himself into the game and demand more from himself.
LeBron James still has a lot of energy
“I talked to my family and myself. I was inspired by seeing how my kids were growing up. Obviously the Brownie incident (his son had a heart attack this summer) inspired me as well. “I feel I still have a lot in the tank,” he said recently. lebron.
“At that moment I was tired, I was broken, mentally I was caught up in a lot of things, that’s why this sentence came out, but I’m happy to be back for another year,” he added.
In May, it will be more of a mental problem than a physical problem, because last season’s performance was amazing, not to mention after he turns 38 on December 30, 2022.
living history
In the five games following his birthday, he averaged nearly 36 points per game and soon made history by surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA scoring record.
LeBron James remains the Lakers’ leader, maintaining last year’s group structure and, after a very complicated first half of the season, reacting after the All-Star break to lock down what at times seemed out of reach. Playoff qualification. .
Los Angeles’ road would end in the Western Conference Finals against the superior Denver Nuggets, who would eventually win their first championship in history against the Miami Heat in the Finals.
With Anthony Davis as his primary partner, LeBron will be competing for his fifth career championship this year. He won two championships with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013, one with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and another with the Lakers in the 2020 Orlando bubble.
The 2023 Paris Olympics is attracting much attention
But LeBron James has another long-term goal heading into the year, and that’s a last dance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, returning Team USA to the center of the basketball world after its last disappointing World Cup appearance.
“I’m interested and we’ll see what happens. On a physical level, I’ll see at the end of the season. But I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of wear and tear and we’ll see what happens,” he said.
Everything points to LeBron James being part of a team full of stars that, in addition to Joel Embiid, also includes Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry.
At the last World Cup, the young team assembled by head coach Steve Kerr was not up to par, and the United States lost to eventual champion Germany in the semifinals. The U.S. lost the race for third place to Canada and finished fourth.
The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11, and Team USA will defend its gold medal after winning gold in the past four Olympics and seven of the past eight.