NBA and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James said he’s still driven by a love of the game and his retirement had yet to come at age 38 Wednesday night in Los Angeles at the opportunity for a prize giving.
“I don’t care how many more points I’m going to score and what I’m still able to do on the court,” said LeBron James after receiving an award at the ESPY awards ceremony, an event created by the group. ESPN audiovisual.
“The real question I have is, can I still play without cheating? The day when I could no longer give anything on the pitch will spell the end of my career. You guys are lucky, that day is not today,” added James, honored to have become the leading scorer in NBA history in February, ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The four-time NBA champion, who turns 39 in December, has thus put an end to speculation about a possible retirement. At the end of May, after the elimination of the Lakers in the Western Conference final by Denver (4-0), he had cast doubt on his future as a player.
“We’ll see what happens…I don’t know. As for basketball, I have a lot to think about,” he said at the time.
“When the season ended, I had actually hinted that I was not sure if I would continue, I asked myself the question, as I have asked myself for a year or two,” he said. Wednesday.
James, engaged with the Lakers until 2025, brushed aside the idea that he was continuing to play to one day evolve with one or both of his sons. Aged 18, his eldest son Bronny will wear the colors of the Southern California university team in the NCAA championship next season, and could be eligible for the NBA Draft in 2024.
But coaching his sons helps keep his enthusiasm going, he said. “You know what still motivates me every year? It is to observe and train my sons and their teams,” he said.
“Seeing my children (play) brings me back to the reason why I play (…) which is to say the pure love of this beautiful game,” he explained. “And, yes, I still have things to give. Many things”.
