Lebron James actually looked older than the other 2022 All-Stars on court, like his posture. That doesn't negate the fact that he's still better than 90% of them (and also tied Steph Curry for most minutes played in the game). But I hope he doesn't end up being one of those athletes who plays for so long that by the time he retires, he can't like walk up a flight of stairs and shit.
Recently Adam Silver got to lamenting about how hard it is to imagine a post-Lebron NBA. But it's always like that when the prospect of the league's signature player leaving comes up. Michael Jordan was still in great playing shape when he retired in 1998 (which I will always consider as his real retirement). He did so at the age of 35, which is still kinda young for a perennial All-Star. Also, he did it right after winning a championship. Many people still thought he was the best player in the game, and even if he necessarily wasn't, the NBA powers-that-be still favored him. But it's like at that point the Bulls' braintrust was engaged in all types of BS, and MJ no longer had anything to prove.
So as it currently stands, Lebron intends on playing 2024-25 - when his son may join the NBA - so that he can play alongside Bronny. Imagine that: a player actually mentoring his son, on court, in the NBA.
Under normal circumstances, the idea of someone doing so would be far-fetched. Why? Well even if you do last long enough to be active when your son joins the league, there's no guarantee the two of you will be on the same team anyway. But this is Lebron we're talking about, a player who can theoretically force himself onto any squad or have the team he's playing on draft Bronny, even if he isn't good enough.
And speaking of Lebron Jr., based on what I've been able to gather he's not that good at basketball anyway. Or by the looks things, if he does make it to the NBA it'll be on the strength of his pops. That's the funny thing about NBA greatness. You can have Jordan, who is considered by many to be the greatest player ever, but neither of sons, both of whom played Division I b-ball, made it to the NBA. Then you have the likes of Jellybean Bryant or Mychal Thompson or Dell Curry who have never been All-Stars, but then they go on to give birth to like these legendary players.
CONCLUSION
I'm no longer going to argue that Lebron James should retire, since he's still a top 10 NBA player. Some of these young cats may be good, but their skillsets aren't as diverse as LBJ's. But what I will say is that I hope sometime in the near future Lebron will find himself on a team where he doesn't have to carry so much of a burden.
Jordan had the likes of Pippen, Kukoc, Rodman and some of the best role players the league had to offer by his side during the golden years. Meanwhile the Lakers for the most part have always been exceptional at roster building - that is until Lebron James showed up. So maybe this offseason, instead of LBJ and his people trying to influence the roster one way or another, they should just let the team's braintrust do their thing.
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