02/15/26 03:09:00
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02/15 15:07 CST All-Star LeBron James says he still doesn't know whether his
23rd NBA season will be his last
All-Star LeBron James says he still doesn't know whether his 23rd NBA season
will be his last
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) --- LeBron James still hasn't decided whether his
unprecedented 23rd NBA season will be his last.
"When I know, you guys will know," James told reporters Sunday after arriving
at Intuit Dome to play in his 21st All-Star Game. "I don't know. I have no
idea. I just want to live. That's all."
The 41-year-old James again confirmed he is not on a farewell tour this season
with the Los Angeles Lakers, even though he teared up during a tribute to his
career in Cleveland last month. He has also spoken repeatedly about the
importance of savoring moments of the season with his teammates, including his
21-year-old son, Bronny.
And while he deftly parried this All-Star Game round of questions about his
future with the same basic answer he has given for months, James expressed
gratitude for another chance to make memories with Stephen Curry and Kevin
Durant on the All-Star stage. The veteran superstars were slated to play
together on the "Stripes" team of American All-Stars before Curry's knee injury
sidelined him, but Curry is still attending the game.
"It's always an honor to see those guys," James said. "We've had such an
unbelievable journey throughout our individual careers and then intersecting at
certain points in our careers --- matchups in the regular season, Finals
appearances, postseason appearances, then Olympics two summers ago. When it
comes to me, Steph and KD, we'll be interlocked for the rest of our careers,
for sure."
As to the length of that career, James repeated his regular declarations that
he hasn't made a decision and he is focused on the final 28 games of the
regular season with the Lakers, who are in the thick of the Western Conference
playoff race despite major injury problems. James could be a free agent this
summer, but he claims he's not thinking beyond the tasks before the Lakers.
"It has nothing to do with that," James said. "Same motivation, same mind
factor. We've got past the marathon, and now the sprint is about to start."
James has spoken in the past about his desire to become an NBA owner after his
playing career, and the league could soon be exploring expansion. James has
noticed, but his next career isn't his focus.
"There's a lot of things that I have on the table that I could tap into if I
want to, (ownership) being one of them," James said. "There's other ventures as
well that I'll continue to explore, and then see what will engage me and
motivate me post-career. Right now, I'm still locked in on what's going in
right now with our season, and that's where my mind is."
James spoke to reporters before Sunday's game because the league has allowed
him to skip All-Star Saturday activities in recent years. James said Thursday
that he planned to spend his extra time off at home recovering from a season in
which he has already missed 18 games due to various health concerns, including
sciatica that sidelined him for the Lakers' first 14 games.
Yet he still headed into this break Thursday by becoming the oldest player in
NBA history to record a triple-double.
The four-time NBA champion with the longest career in league history is still
performing at an All-Star level alongside fellow All-Star Luka Doncic and
Austin Reaves, yet the Lakers' dynamic trio has played only 10 games together
this season because of injuries to all three players.
"It's too hard to really say what we're capable of," James said. "I know that
when we've played some of our best basketball of the season, we've looked very
good. On the other side, when we've been terrible, we've looked disgusting. So,
I think the most important (thing) is if we can get healthy, how many minutes
we can be on the floor, how much chemistry we can build with this sprint
starting."
James has missed too many games to qualify for his 22nd inclusion on the
All-NBA teams, but he was still chosen for another All-Star Game after missing
last year's game in San Francisco, ending his 20-year streak of appearances.
More than two decades after he started for the Eastern Conference in his
All-Star debut, he returns to play in a game that has been transformed into a
round-robin tournament between two teams of American players and a powerhouse
team representing the rest of the world.
Like Kawhi Leonard and several other All-Stars, James prefers the classics.
"East-West is definitely a tradition," James said. "It's been really good.
Obviously, I like the East and West format. They're trying something. We'll see
what happens. I mean, it's like the U.S. versus the World? The World is
gigantic over the U.S. I'm just trying to figure out how that makes sense."
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