LeBron James shares cryptic Jay-Z lyric as retirement rumors swirl
James floated the possibility of retiring after the Lakers were swept by the Nuggets
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LeBron James on Monday shared a Jay-Z quote on his Instagram Stories just days after he floated the possibility of retiring from the NBA as the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs.
James shared appeared to share a post from LBJ History from when the superstar basketball player took over a game in high school as a member of the St. Vincent-St. Mary team.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, #6, shoots the ball against Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, #50, during the fourth quarter in game four of the Western Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles May 22, 2023. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
"I’m suppose to be #1 on everybody list. … We’ll see what happens when I no longer exist," the caption read.
The lyric appeared on the Jay-Z track "What More Can I Say."
James fueled the possibility of retiring soon after he and the Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets. In Game 4, James scored 40 points in 48 minutes and had 31 of those points in the first half. Still, the Lakers fell short 113-111.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We’ll see what happens going forward," James said. "I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ve got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball, I’ve got a lot to think about."
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, #6, looks down the court during the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets in game four of the Western Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles May 22, 2023. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
James signed a two-year deal to return to Los Angeles. He is owed $46.9 million next season and $50.6 million in 2024-25 should he decide to keep playing through his age-40 season.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}With injuries hitting the superstar forward over the last two seasons, James talked about being available to be on the court.
"It’s all about availability for me and keeping my mind sharp, and things of that nature," he said. "Being present on the floor, being present in the locker room and bus rides and plane rides, things of that nature. It’s challenging, for sure. It was a very challenging season for me, for our ballclub, and obviously we know whatever went on early on (in the Lakers’ 2-10 start to the season). It was cool, a pretty cool ride."
James finished the regular season averaging 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. He has not played in more than 60 games since the 2019-20 season in which the league ended up going to a bubble format due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was his last championship.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, #6, looks to pass during the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles May 22, 2023. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
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"I guess I’ll reflect on my career when I’m done, but I don’t know," he said. "The only thing I concern myself with is being available to my teammates, and I don’t like the fact that I didn’t play as many games as I would have liked because of injury. That’s the only thing I care about, is being available to my teammates."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.