LeBron James as the center of attention around the NBA? Imagine that. With the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat battling it out for the title, King James continues to make waves around the Association.
It started when he left opened the possibility of retirement after the aforementioned Nuggets beat his Los Angeles Lakers team in the Western Conference Finals.
Since then, things have spiraled out of control. Most recently, a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania indicated that Kyrie Irving has been recruiting James to reunite with him on the Dallas Mavericks.
While that seemed a bit ridiculous on the surface, the two former teammates have had conversations over the past couple years about a reunion.
Following up on his report from earlier in the week, Charania is now making it clear that it’s unlikely James is going to leave the Lakers this summer. There are several reasons for this, some of which seemed obvious to begin with.
“He’s reached out to LeBron from what I’m told, he’s made contact with him, they’ve had a back-and-forth now for a couple years,” latest report on LeBron James. “Now, do I think it’s unlikely LeBron James goes to Dallas? I do,” Charania said. “I think he’s happy in L.A., I think he’s happy being there, being a Laker and his son Bronny James going to USC next year. There’s a lot of reasons why staying in L.A. makes the most sense for LeBron James.”
It’s always been a bit ridiculous to believe that James would leave a market he set up shop to build a strong presence. Add in the fact that his son, Bronny, has committed to play for the USC Trojans, and that’s magnified further.
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Time to put to rest the LeBron James drama
We have to take James’ initial comments about potential retirement with a grain of salt. The 38-year-old future Hall of Famer was minutes removed from seeing his Lakers swept out of the playoffs.
He had just come off a grueling 20th season in the NBA in which the star was dealing with a torn tendon in his foot throughout the playoffs. He was emotional. That happens.
Even then, reports since have indicated that there’s a strong chance James returns to the Lakers for a fifth season. He’s helped build up a contender and has won a title with the organization. They have molded their roster around him. He’s still playing at an elite level.
We’re going to continue hearing rumors about James until he makes an official decision about his future. Until then, some of the stuff that comes out has to be considered nothing more than speculation.