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LeBron James Announced Retirement

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LeBron James Announced Retirement

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LeBron James made his way down the ramp to exit the arena Monday night, having just completed his 20th NBA season with an unceremonious sweep out of the playoffs, not knowing if it would be the last time he would make that walk as an active player.

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James told ESPN he will consider retirement this offseason.

After scoring 40 points and playing all but four seconds of the Los Angeles Lakers 113-111 Game 4 loss to the Denver Nuggets — with his last-second floater to try to force overtime being blocked at the buzzer — James ended his news conference by telling reporters, “Going forward with the game of basketball, I’ve got a lot to think about.”

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Following the news conference, ESPN asked James to elaborate on his statement.

When you say you got to think about stuff, what thread should we be pulling on that?

“If I want to continue to play,” James said.

As in next year?

“Yeah.”

You would walk away?

“I got to think about it.”

James, 38, wrapped up his campaign by leading the No. 7-seeded Lakers to the Western Conference finals.

He played in all 17 of L.A.’s postseason games — including the play-in win over the Minnesota Timberwolves — while still managing a right foot injury that caused him to miss a month straight late in the regular season because of a torn tendon.

James said he heard a pop when he injured his foot against the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 26. He consulted a cadre of medical professionals, several of whom recommended surgery, before finding a doctor he described as “the LeBron James of feet” and was assured he could rehabilitate the injury and return to the court without a procedure.

LeBron James Announced Retirement

When asked Monday if surgery could be an option this summer, James told ESPN, “I’m going to get an MRI on it and see how the tendon either healed or not healed and go from there. We’ll see what happens.”

While James admitted his performance was affected by his foot injury after he returned, he said he did not consider shutting down his season early, as was the case in 2021-22, when he missed the final five games because of a lingering ankle injury, and in 2018-19, when he was absent for the final six contests because of a groin strain that hadn’t fully healed.

“I knew I could get to the finish line,” James told ESPN. “I knew I had to deal with it and deal with the pain or deal with not being able to be myself before the injury, but there was nothing that made me feel like I couldn’t get to the finish line.”

James was brilliant in Game 4 against Denver, setting a personal best for points in a half in a playoff game by lighting the Nuggets up for 31 points on 11-for-13 shooting by halftime while playing in the 282nd playoff game of his career.

While he finished with nearly twice as many points as his next closest teammate (Anthony Davis scored 21), James ultimately came up short twice while trying to tie the game down the stretch — first missing a fadeaway with 26 seconds remaining then getting blocked by Aaron Gordon as time expired.

READ MORE: Warriors Star Jordan Poole has been “stinking it the f—k up with an alleged date with rapper Ice Spice

James has one season remaining on his contract with the Lakers, worth $46.7 million for 2023-24, and a player option for the following season worth $50.4 million.

Over the past several years, he has repeatedly made it known that his goal is to play in the league with his oldest son, Bronny before he retires. As he approached passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record in February, he told ESPN the last thing left for him to accomplish after the scoring mark was, “I got to play with my boy.”

However, he softened on that stance recently. Following the Lakers’ Game 3 win over the Golden State Warriors in the second round — which coincided with the day Bronny declared he would be playing college basketball for USC next season — James adjusted the expectation.

“I’ve done what I’ve had to do in this league, and my son is going to take his journey,” he said. “And whatever his journey, however his journey lays out, he’s going to do what’s best for him. And as his dad, his mom, Savannah, and his brother and sister, we’re going to support him in whatever he decides to do. So, just because that’s my aspiration or my goal, doesn’t mean it’s his. And I’m OK with that.”

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Steph Curry And Andre Iguodala Ot Battles

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Steph Curry And Andre Iguodala Ot Battles

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Steph Curry was originally planning on spending the last day of May helping the Golden State Warriors prep for the NBA Finals. But after the team was eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers, Curry’s plans turned to his other passion: golf. And he brought some of his closest people with him.

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Curry participated in the PGA Tour’s Memorial Pro-Am on Wednesday at the Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin Ohio, about two hours away from the hospital where he (and LeBron James!) were born.

Unlike some pro-ams, such as the famous event at Pebble Beach, the field for the Memorial was kept under wraps until the last minute. And not only did Curry play, but he — and his philanthropic group, the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation — were ambassadors.

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The pro-am, which takes place a day before the official PGA Tour tournament at the same golf course, features 27 pairings, each with two PGA Tour golfers and three amateurs. Curry, an avid golfer with a low handicap — and someone who golf coaches and pros have said could potentially make the cut at a real tournament — was paired with superstar Jordan Spieth, a three-time Major champion, 13-time PGA Tour winner, the current No. 11 ranked golfer in the world, and, crucially, the face of Under Armour’s golf line. He was also paired with Keith Mitchell, a one-time PGA Tour winner and the No. 56 ranked golfer in the world.

On the amateur side, Curry was paired with his own brother-in-law and former teammate, NBA free agent Damion Lee, as well as country music star and avid golfer Jake Owen.

READ MORE Lakers could end up with ‘giant headache’ if LeBron James gets his wish

But Curry wasn’t the only Warriors player in attendance. Andre Iguodala — who is one of Curry’s closest friends and his frequent golf partner — also played in the event. Fittingly, Iguodala was paired with Spieth’s best friend, golf star Justin Thomas, a two-time Major champion, 15-time PGA Tour winner, and currently the No. 15 ranked golfer in the world. He was also paired with J.J. Spaun, a one-time PGA Tour winner and the No. 77 ranked golfer in the world, country music and reality competition star Luke Bryan, and tech investor and influencer Geoff Yang.

In addition to those three Warriors players, Curry’s dad, Dell (a former NBA player and a current broadcaster for the Charlotte Hornets) and brother Seth (a former Santa Cruz Warrior and current NBA free agent) also played. They were paired together with actor Chris O’Donnell, and pros Collin Morikawa, a two-time Major champion, five-time PGA Tour winner, and the No. 18 golfer in the world, and Tyrrell Hatton, a one-time PGA Tour winner and the No. 17 golfer in the world.

In addition to all that, the Bay Area was represented with a few other athletes as well, with former San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks Steve Young and Alex Smith playing, as well as other notable celebrities like retired NFL superstars Peyton Manning and Larry Fitzgerald, and actor Josh Duhamel.

On the golf side, the top five golfers in the world, by the official rankings — Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, and Xander Schauffele — were all competing.

Now look at this swing! Don’t leave us for golf yet, Steph!

 

 

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Lakers could end up with ‘giant headache’ if LeBron James gets his wish

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Lakers could end up with ‘giant headache’ if LeBron James gets his wish

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Potential L.A. Lakers signing Kyrie Irving is one of the best players in the NBA, but he is also a giant headache, writer Mark Medina has told GiveMeSport.

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Irving was drafted first overall in 2011 by the Cleveland Cavaliers and really started to take over in his third season. After LeBron James came back to Cleveland, James and Irving led the Cavs to an NBA title in 2016. Yet, following that, everything started to go downhill.

In July 2017, Irving requested a trade from Cleveland and a month later joined the Boston Celtics. He then left Boston in the summer of 2019 to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. Yet, after dealing with injuries and sitting out games, he once again asked for a trade and was dealt to the Dallas Mavericks.

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He’s headed for free agency in July and reports have claimed that James is pushing for the Lakers to sign Irving and re-ignite their partnership. However, Medina has pointed out some of the problems that come with the 6 foot 2 guard.

Lakers could end up with ‘giant headache’ if LeBron James gets his wish

Irving struggles to stay healthy
“I think when you talk to people in the front offices around the league, they think, yeah, he has a great basketball talent, but he’s one giant headache. There’s a lot of unpredictability as far as his availability goes, because he has had a lot of injuries. Even though he trains really well and is well-conditioned and has a great game, he’s had struggles with staying healthy on the court,” Medina told GiveMeSport.

READ MORE After Massive Exit at Stephen Curry’s Warriors, Big Replacement Proposed by the NBA Fans

“Then it’s all the other extracurriculars. There’s been so many times in the last few years when he’s had leave of absences with just taking personal days without any explanations. Then there’s been a lot of unique circumstances like not adhering to the vaccine mandate when playing for a Brooklyn Nets organization in a city that had a vaccine mandate, and therefore didn’t make them available for games.”

Irving’s next move
As Mark Medina says, Kyrie Irving has struggled to stay healthy as he hasn’t played over 70 games since the 2016-17 season with Cleveland, which was his last with the Cavs. Yet, he did seem to find a bit of success in Dallas as he averaged over 38 minutes per game and averaged 27 points per game.

However, the Mavericks missed the playoffs after being in a playoff spot when they traded for him. With that, his future in Dallas is uncertain as Irving is a free agent this summer.

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After Massive Exit at Stephen Curry’s Warriors, Big Replacement Proposed by the NBA Fans

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After Massive Exit at Stephen Curry’s Warriors, Big Replacement Proposed by the NBA Fans

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The Golden State Warriors went to 6 NBA Finals and won 4 NBA championships in a span of eight years. Stephen Curry and the rest of the roster have deservedly earned plaudits for their continued excellence. However, there was one person who played a pivotal role in building this iconic team, Bob Myers.

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Myers, the President of Basketball Operations and General Manager of the Golden State Warriors resigned from his position recently. Myers played a key role in hiring head coach, Steve Kerr, and made crucial decisions to retain core players like Klay Thompson and acquire stars like Kevin Durant.

Under Myers’ leadership, the Warriors won four championships and achieved the best regular-season record in NBA history. Additionally, he was recognized as the NBA Executive of the Year twice. Naturally, his departure from the organization has raised concerns among fans. However, there is one person Warriors fans will love to see take over the role.

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After Massive Exit at Stephen Curry’s Warriors, Big Replacement Proposed by the NBA Fans

Warriors veteran Andre Iguodala might have played his last game for Golden State. Throughout his time with the team, Iguodala has been instrumental in providing guidance and mentorship to the younger players. His contributions were particularly noteworthy during the Warriors’ successful campaign to win the 2015 NBA Championship.

His exceptional defensive skills against LeBron James played a significant role in the series, earning him the honor of 2015 NBA Finals MVP. Iguodala wished Myers after his decision via a tweet. He tweeted “To more life Robert, appreciate you!”

READ MORE LeBron James posts cryptic Instagram story about ‘money’ after Heat’s Game 6 loss

Fans were quick to point out how Iggy knows the franchise inside out and would do a great job as Myers’ successor.

Warriors fans present 4x NBA Champion with a request
Despite losing the architect behind their legendary dynasty, Warriors fans found hope in the form of Iguodala. One fan tweeted, “We need you Iggy.”

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