Analyst explains why LeBron hinted at retiring

The Los Angeles Lakers failed to finish the job. The NBA won’t get its dream final between the Lakers and Boston Celtics, and LeBron James won’t win a fifth championship, at least for now.

James was visually exhausted and frustrated after the loss. He claimed this season wasn’t a success despite becoming the league’s all-time leading scorer, as he only plays to win.

LeBron even hinted at retirement for the first time in his career, citing that he’ll have a lot of things to think about in the offseason, fueling rumors and a big spark on social media.

LeBron James Hints At Retirement

“I wouldn’t say it was a successful year because I don’t play for anything besides winning championships at this point in my career,” LeBron said. “And I don’t get a kick out of making a Conference appearance. I’ve done it a lot.”

“And it’s not fun to me to not be able to be a part of getting to the Finals. But we’ll see what happens moving forward, but I don’t know,” James continued. “I got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just for me, moving forward with the game of basketball, a lot to think about.”

LeBron Wants Lakers To Get Kyrie Irving

However, NBA insider Kevin O’Connor believes this was just a power play by The King, who’s known for his passive-aggressive tactics. Apparently, this could be just a way to get the Lakers to pursue Kyrie Irving:

“I’d bet on LeBron’s comments in part being a negotiation tactic: I’ll retire unless you go all-in next season. And the player James probably wants the Lakers to acquire is Kyrie Irving,“ O’Conner tweeted.

Irving was a Lakers target this season, but the Brooklyn Nets refused to send him to Los Angeles. He’ll now be a free agent, and GM Rob Pelinka will need to be at his best to give his superstar a reason to run it back next season.