The Sacramento Kings defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 124-112 at Golden 1 Center on Monday night, handing J.J. Redick’s team its third consecutive loss.
As a result, while the Kings improved their record to 10-30, the Lakers fell to 23-14. But despite this, fans are more concerned about signs of a possible retirement for NBA star LeBron James.
Fans speculate about King James’ last season
Despite missing the start of the year due to sciatica, LBJ is playing his 23rd season in the league, something unprecedented in NBA history, becoming the first player in history to reach this milestone (Vince Carter follows with 22).
For this reason, prior to the game, trading card manufacturer Topps announced that the Akron Hammer will wear a special edition patch to commemorate his 23 seasons. It will feature James’ silhouette in his ritual of throwing chalk before each game and, behind it, three colored lines, one for each team he belonged to: the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and LA Lakers.
In addition, they revealed that these patches will be removed from his jersey after each Lakers game and that some of them will be placed on “ultra-rare” trading cards.
However, fans perceived this announcement as a nod to the end of his career:
“It’s feeling more like the final year…” wrote one of them.
“Sounds like something someone would do for their last season…” said another.
“Guess this might just be his last season. Man has paid his dues,” commented a third fan.
The truth is that, although he said he was not thinking about retirement at the start of this season, James admitted he knows the end is near. He is currently averaging 21.9 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game and has not expressed a desire to end his career this year.
However, LBJ is in the final year of his contract with the Lakers, so his future not only in the league but also on the team is uncertain.
Read the full article here
