Lakers star LeBron James talks emotions of looming retirement and importance of legacy

Since LeBron James was nine years old, basketball has been his oxygen. 

Now, at age 41, he has made it clear he’s approaching the end of his career. He doesn’t know when he’s going to retire, but he knows how it’s going to feel. 

“I kind of look at it like when you lose a loved one and you have a funeral,” James told the California Post in an exclusive interview. “People tend to be sad, but it’s also a celebration of life. I think for me, when I’m done with this game, it’ll be a celebration of life and not of loss. It’ll be a celebration of everything I’ve been able to accomplish in this game, everything I’ve put into it. The moments, all the love.”

James entered the league as an 18-year-old with the highest expectations of any prospect ever when he was drafted by Cleveland as the No. 1 overall pick in 2003. 

That type of pressure would’ve been crushing for most players. But James didn’t flinch, becoming the face of the league for two decades and arguably the greatest player of all-time. 

He’s the first player to reach his 23rd season, and he’s still one of the top players in the NBA, averaging 21.6 points on 50.2 percent shooting, 7.0 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. His longevity is unprecedented. 

And for other NBA superstars, it’s unfathomable. 

“I don’t know how we can understand,” Dwyane Wade told the California Post. “We’ve never seen it. Not in this sport, at the level he’s playing at on a nightly basis. There’s not been a word made yet to explain what it is. I think at this time, if you asked him, he has probably reached being a complete player. He’s probably the most copious he has ever been as a player and he’s in his 23rd year. It’s just incredible as a fan to be able to experience and watch.”

Still, James has made it clear that the final specks of sand are falling through the hourglass of his career. He doesn’t want to play until the wheels fall off, even though he believes he could be impactful for many more years if he so chose. 

For all we know, James could retire after this season. He’s steeling himself for the end. He cried while watching a tribute video last month in Cleveland, where he spent 11 seasons of his career, winning the franchise their first and only championship in 2016. Last weekend, he took his daughter, Zhuri, on her first father-daughter road trip. 

It’s hard to imagine the league without him. 

James and basketball have been synonymous for so long that last season he became the first player in NBA history to play alongside his son, Bronny. 

When asked how he wants to be remembered when he retires, James didn’t point to his four championships, four MVPs, four Finals MVPs or 22 All-Star appearances. He didn’t mention being the league’s all-time leading scorer or having been to the Finals 10 times, including eight straight appearances from 2011-2018. 

Rather, he wants to be known for his approach to the sport he loves. 

“I didn’t cheat the game,” James told the California Post. “Listen, I’ve dedicated to this sport. I’ve never cheated the game. I’ve showed up every day on time. I’ve put my work in both on the court, off the court. Just showed grace. That’s what it’s about.

“I’ve just wanted to maximize and squeeze everything I could out of the game because I understood what it gave me, my family and everything. So I was never going to disrespect the game gods. Hopefully there are some highlights in there between my years I’ve played this game. But I never cheated the game. Ever.”

James is still wholeheartedly dedicating himself to basketball. To be as sharp as possible, he gave up two of his biggest pleasures in wine and chocolate chip cookies in November and December after missing the first 14 games of the season because of sciatica. 

And even now, his pregame routine includes waking up, taking a cold plunge, going into a hyperbaric chamber and using a Normatec on his legs for 45 minutes before he even arrives at the arena. Then, he does activation exercises, undergoes treatment, does rehab, stretches and lifts before stepping foot onto the court. 

When Lakers coach JJ Redick was asked what stands out most to him about James over his illustrious career, he didn’t hesitate. “The word that probably comes to mind is commitment,” he said. “Commitment to do all the things necessary to be great.”

That’s why Wade finds it laughable that there’s so much criticism around James. 

He’s been dragged through the mud his entire career. When he passes the ball, people say he should’ve shot – and vice versa. James has been the epitome of greatness for two decades and hasn’t had any missteps despite being under the most intense of microscopes. 

But instead of being celebrated, James is often poked.

“Unfortunately that’s the world we live in,” Wade told the California Post. “And when you’re that great, people get bored and they get tired of talking about how great you are. And they gotta start picking at the things that maybe aren’t as great as other things. It’s very unfortunate. LeBron is one of those players, just like the other greats, that once they’re gone, you’re going to miss what they brought. He’s been so incredible for our game. 

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“For 23 years, he has been the standard for all of the young guys coming in. We’re going to miss that standard. We’re going to miss him, on and off the floor, for all the things he has done at the level he’s done them at. You want people to enjoy it, but it’s the silliness of the world we live in. People are always trying to move on from something. And you don’t appreciate what’s right in front of you until it’s gone.”

On a nightly basis, James is still elevating for electrifying dunks. He’s juking players and then shooting fadeaway 3s. He’s driving through the lane like a freight train and then finishing by the rim with the silky touch of a ballerina. He dances during his pregame routine and laughs alongside his teammates in the locker room after games. 

James loves basketball.

That’s what has inspired him to be great for so long. He has devoted himself to the game, and it has transformed him from being a kid who was raised by a single mother living below the poverty line in Akron, Ohio, into a billionaire who’s one of the most famous people on the planet. 

Basketball has given him one of the most powerful voices in the world. It has allowed him to found the I Promise School, which helps at-risk children, and House Three Thirty, which provides job training and financial literacy to families in the Akron community. It has made him a movie star and a global icon. 

When asked what basketball means to him, he flashed a smile. 

“Everything,” James told the California Post. “It has given me everything and more. I never imagined myself being in this position. I never imagined myself traveling all over the world to play the game. You know, playing on the Olympic Team in Beijing and London and Greece and all over the world. Doing tours with Nike all over the world and in Asia and things of that notion. The game has given me everything. Just trying to give back to it, that’s it.”

After this season, James, who’s making $52.6 million, will become an unrestricted free agent. It’s not clear what he’s going to do next. And if he returns, it’s a mystery what uniform he’ll be wearing. 

But there’s one thing he knows for sure. 

When asked if he could write the script on how his career ends, he had complete clarity. 

“Me smiling,” he said. “That’s the best way I know for sure that I’ve gotten the most out of it.”