There was speculation earlier this NBA offseason whether Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James would potentially retire ahead of the 2023-24 season. That talk has largely simmered, but he made an official announcement on the matter at the 2023 ESPYS on Wednesday night.
James was featured at the ESPYS after receiving an award for the Best Record-Breaking Performance for breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time points record.
During his acceptance speech, he made it official in a message to his critics that he would be returning for the Lakers next season.
“I don’t care how many more points I score or what I can or cannot do on the floor,” said James. “The real question for me is, can I play without cheating this game? The day I can’t give the game everything on the floor is the day I’ll be done. Lucky for you guys, that day is not today.”
He received a massive ovation after that statement from the attendees of the ESPYS. Fans took notice and chimed in on social media, excited that all the speculation on his return is over.
Lebron James announces he will NOT be retiring from the NBA pic.twitter.com/4UVgk5m6xy
— No Jumper (@nojumper) July 13, 2023
James has always been known to use the biggest platform possible to make his announcement, and he certainly did so on Wednesday night.
He will return to a Lakers team that showed some extreme promise last postseason, making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals before falling to the eventual champions in the Denver Nuggets.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.