Vice President of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka is hopeful that LeBron James continues to play in the NBA. After the Los Angeles Lakers were knocked out of the Western Conference finals by Denver Nuggets, James admitted he will contemplate retirement during the off-season.
This was the 20th NBA season for the veteran and he played a key role in taking the Lakers to the West finals. Pelinka said that they will give James the time and space he needs to make this crucial decision in his career.
In fact, James had earlier shown his interest to play along with his son, Bronny James but now seems to have moved on from that goal.
“We’ll look forward to those conversations when the time is right,” Pelinka said. “But I will say this: LeBron has given as much to the game of basketball as anyone who’s ever played. And when you do that, you earn a right to decide whether you’re going to give more.
“I think sometimes we put athletes, entertainers, on a pedestal, but they’re humans and just like us. They have inflection points in their career, and our job as a Laker is to support any player on our team if they reach a career inflection point … and really providing nothing but support for him. Obviously, our hope would be that his career continues, but we want to again just give him the time.”
James’ teammate D’Angelo Russell feels it will be hard when the veteran will call time on his career and feels the 38-year-old still has some fuel left in his tank.
“It’d be crazy to see him away from the game, especially when I feel like he has a lot more in the tank,” D’Angelo Russell said.
Meanwhile, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham did a fantastic job in his debut season, helping the team qualify for the West finals. Ham said they are going to be title contenders in the upcoming seasons.
“Make no mistake about it, this is not just a one-shot deal,” Ham said. “We’re going to be around; we’re going to be a problem to be dealt with. I can guarantee you that.”
It will be interesting to note LeBron James’ decision on his future in the NBA.
