LeBron James needed 20 years to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record, but that doesn't mean he's not thinking ahead to what he might accomplish moving forward. After the game, the Los Angeles Lakers forward revealed that he plans to play a few more seasons. In itself, that's hardly surprising. James has always said that he plans to finish his career playing alongside his son Bronny, who won't be eligible to join the NBA until the fall of 2024. But notably, James didn't exactly specify that he planned to play those final few years for the Lakers. In fact, he slyly pointed in another direction. He wants to keep competing for championships, and he thinks he can do it anywhere.
"I feel like that's what I can still do for any group of guys, for any franchise I can go out there and still help multiple championships or win a championship," James said on the TNT broadcast after the game. While James may have been speaking in generalities, he's hardly known for his subtlety when making public comments. It was only yesterday that he said on the record that he was disappointed that the Lakers could not acquire Kyrie Irving. That was hardly the first jab he's taken at the front office this season.
With Tuesday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers fell to 25-30 on the season. They are currently alone in 13th place in the Western Conference. The trade deadline is Thursday. If the Lakers don't make a significant move involving one or both of their available first-round picks, they are probably destined for another disappointing end to their season.
James signed an extension with the Lakers last offseason. He cannot be traded before Thursday's deadline, but he's only under contract with the team for one more year. All indications are that his preference is to remain with the Lakers, but the more this team declines without addressing its core problems, the likelier it becomes that James explores other options. If LeBron's priority really is competing for more championships, it's getting harder and harder to believe that his best chance to do so is with the Lakers.
LeBron James scoring record commemorative gear now available
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