Was this the last we will ever see of LeBron James in the NBA? Was a heartbreaking 103-96 loss by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs really the final moment of such a legendary career? Probably, hopefully, it was not. It couldn't be, right?
After landing Luka Doncic in the biggest blockbuster trade of the last decade, there was a belief that between him and James, the Lakers had enough in the tank to push for a championship, despite the obvious flaws of the team. The Timberwolves disagreed.
Minnesota made quick work of a Los Angeles team who had their best regular-season record since the 2019-20 championship team. James is surely deserving of a much better exit from the league than that.
Retirement does not make sense for James, yet
First, let us start with the following thought. Would LeBron be more likely to bow out of the NBA in a way more similar to that of Kobe Bryant or Tim Duncan? A retirement tour of offering up flowers to one of the two greatest players to ever play in the league is something that is more fitting of James' superstardom than a quiet departure in the middle of the night.
Then there is the obvious fact that James is still simply too great at this sport to leave a potential championship on the table.
Charles Barkley says LeBron was gassed tonight
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) May 1, 2025
“LeBron had nothing tonight. He was just settling for jump shots.”
Sure, the 21-time All-Star tends to show his age much more nowadays. That much should be expected. However, the 40-year-old remains a top 10 player in the league and well on his way to another All-NBA selection for his performance in the 2024-25 campaign.
James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 1.0 steal per game this season, with shooting splits of 51-38-78. The four-time NBA MVP posted 7.7 win shares and a 4.7 rating in value over replacement player. LeBron also experienced a healthy resurgence on defense.
This man can clearly still hoop at a very high level. With Doncic in the building and an offseason to improve the roster around the superstar duo, where is the rush to retire?
LeBron James on how much longer he’ll play: “I don’t know. I don’t have the answer to that. I’ll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group, talk through it, and see what happens. Have conversations with myself on how long I want to continue to play. We'll see." pic.twitter.com/bhzXYBzU2h
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) May 1, 2025
A storybook ending of riding off into the sunset with a championship in hand should be in play for the upcoming 2025-26 campaign. That assumes LeBron would still maintain an elite level of play. As crazy as it sounds, that is not an unrealistic expectation to have of a man who will turn 41 before the end of 2025.
James' days are certainly nearing their end. However, there would be genuine shock around the basketball world if this game on Apr. 30 was truly it for the NBA legend.