LeBron James is on the hot search again, this time on the topic of retirement.
Earlier today, James retweeted a photo of NFL superstar Tom Brady wearing seven championship rings on his hand on his personal social media, with reverence and envy, while spilling over the screen.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have officially announced that James will continue to miss Monday's game against the Hawks, which is also his third consecutive missed game due to a swollen left knee.
Linked to Brady's recent retirement rumors and James's actual situation, someone launched a topic on social media about "when James retired", which quickly triggered a heated discussion and was once on the hot search.
This season, the 37-year-old James still cut 30+ in a row, constantly breaking various records, although the Lakers are struggling, but the playoffs have not started, and no one can judge their failure. Therefore, the option of retiring is obviously not really put to James' extension. But the superstar, known for his staying power, will eventually have a farewell day, and before that, how many more years can he hold out?
Reality: The peak of Zhan Huangcheng is in the past
On Friday, the NBA just announced the final results of the All-Star vote, and James beat Curry and Durant by an absolute margin to be elected all-Star vote king for the ninth time in his career, equaling the NBA's all-time record held by Jordan. This result, in addition to once again proving James's super popularity, is also a full affirmation of his outstanding performance this season.
So far this season, James has averaged 36.6 minutes per game (a new Lakers career high), contributed 29.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks, 61.9% true shooting and 27.3 PER efficiency, all of which are personal best performances since leaving the Cavaliers in 2018.
With a knee injury that spanned more than a month, Westbrook's slump prevented Vogel from putting traditional centers like Howard and Jordan Jr. on the court to fill the box, and James even had to try to make a guest starter in his 19th NBA season. Against such difficult circumstances, he still completed 18 consecutive 25+ performances, second only to the longest personal record he set in 2007-08.
James, who scored 33 points and 11 rebounds and still couldn't get back a win after the Game of Heat on Jan. 24, was interviewed about the "burden" he had recently endured on the offensive end, saying: "I've been saving a team since I was 18 years old, so I don't know what a 'burden' is. ”
James's words are bold, but the reality is that although his data performance is still dazzling, the real dominance of the game has long been unable to compare with his peak self.
The Lakers' struggles this season have many reasons, and even if they have to pull out a responsible person, it will not be James' turn. However, we are comparing James at his peak, the emperor superstar who can compete for the most versatile title in NBA history and can single-handedly lead a set of mediocre talented lineups to the top of the division for a long time.
If James is really still at the peak, even if the Lakers have such and such problems, they will still not fall to a win rate of less than 50%, squeezed out of the top eight of the division, and even ranked behind the Timberwolves.
High-level statistics also confirm that although James's basic data is still MVP level this season, the actual game influence can no longer be compared with jokic, alphabet brother and other head superstars - this season, James's victory contribution value only ranks 12th in the league, and at the peak, he has long monopolized the statistics.
James may still be able to contribute gorgeous data performances, but he can no longer do his best on both offensive and defensive ends like he did when he was younger. On January 16, the Lakers lost to the Nuggets by 37 points, and although James contributed 25 points and 9 rebounds, he repeatedly defended passively in the game and received many criticisms after the game. He later personally apologized on social media, promising the Lakers would perform better.
Some people accuse James of attacking actively defending passively because he cares more about personal data than the victory or defeat of the game, but in fact, James's problem is obviously not in the attitude of the game, but just the helplessness and frustration of not being able to "help the building to fall and turn the tide on the other".
Whether he wants to admit it or not, the 37-year-old James is no longer the 27-year-old self.
History: Who do you think the years have spared?
James is one of the most enduring players in the NBA's history, but after all, he is also flesh and blood, unable to violate the laws of nature, as he grows older, injuries increase, athleticism declines, it is still unavoidable.
James missed 10 games with an abdominal injury at the start of the season, and this time his knees lit up red. Although for James's knee injury, the lakers' official statement is still "day by day observation", experts have reminded the team to pay attention to it and suggested that James undergo an MRI examination.
If you count tomorrow's battle with the Hawks, James has missed a total of 72 games since joining the Lakers, which is more than the total of the first 15 seasons of his career (71 games), of which there are accidents and inevitablies. Because the occurrence of any injury is an accident, but as athletes age, the risk of injury increases, it is inevitable.
Looking back at the entire history of the NBA, many superstars were young and almost insulated from injuries, but later in their careers, injuries appeared frequently and attendance began to decline sharply.
One of the most notable examples is Bryant, who for most of his career he has not had major injuries, including 5 seasons of full attendance, and even if there are occasional accidents, he is often "minor injuries out of the line of fire". In the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, Bryant played only 41 games due to injuries to the Achilles tendon, knee and shoulder, which directly prompted him to make the decision to retire before the start of the 2015-16 season.
Even if there are no serious injuries, it is inevitable that NBA players will decline in their competitive level after getting older and will not be able to play at the level they expect. Those famous "evergreen trees" in the history of the NBA, almost without exception, have had a "substandard" performance before retiring.
The NBA's all-time scoring champion, 19 times all-Star record "Sky Hook" Abdul-Jabbar, played until the age of 42 before retiring, and has maintained a high attendance rate. But in the last two seasons, the average performance was only 14.6 points and 6 rebounds per game, and 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds, respectively;
Kevin Willis, older than Abdul-Jabbar when he retired, was 44 years and 224 days old when he played in his last NBA game. But the veteran center, who averaged 18+15 All-Stars at his peak, has never averaged a double-double since the age of 37;
Vince Carter is the only player in NBA history who has gone through 4 "decades" and played a total of 22 seasons, but at his peak, he was called the "four quarterbacks" with Kobe, Iverson and Allen, and he was elected the king of the All-Star vote, and in the last six NBA seasons, he averaged only single digits per game...
Among the top ten superstars in NBA history, Jordan twice "went and returned" and finally retired forever at the age of 40, Abbad djibal played 42, Chamberlain and Russell played in their last NBA games, respectively, 36 and 35 years old, Bryant hit 37, Duncan hit 40, and The Magician and big bird retired early due to injury, needless to mention.
Therefore, even if it lasts like James, there will eventually be a day when he will grow old and have to bow to the years. At the age of 37, how many years can he have left in his career?
The future: three major goals to be achieved
Last January, James, then 36, spoke about retirement in a closing interview, saying he would try to keep his body and spirit at their best, but admitted that "I don't think I'm going to play until I'm 46."
James' current contract expires next summer, when he was designing the length of the contract when the Lakers completed an early renewal. According to reports, James signed his contract until 2023 because according to the NBA draft rules, his eldest son Brownie can sign up for the 2023 election as early as 2023. At that point, he can guarantee enough flexibility to achieve the miracle of father and son on the same field or even the same team.
At present, whether James can achieve the goal of father and son is not determined by whether he can stick to that day, but on whether Brownie can successfully enter the NBA. In addition, James has two other goals before he retires, waiting for him to complete.
The first is to surpass the sky hook and crown the scorer of history. James does not deny that he wants to surpass Jordan and become the best in history, but compared with Jordan, who has completed three consecutive championships twice and has not been defeated in the Finals, James can only hope to gain an absolute advantage in statistics if he wants to impact the first person in history. Becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer is a goal that must be achieved.
As of now, James has scored a total of 36928 points in his career and ranks second in history, just 1459 points away from Tiangou. If you look at the level of 29.1 points he's averaged this season, just 51 games will make history. Even at 20 points per game, he can surpass the sky hook before the end of his current contract (next season). So as long as there are no major surprises, it is only a matter of time before James is crowned the scoring king of history.
Relatively speaking, James's other big goal is much more difficult. James currently has four crowns in hand, not to mention not as good as Jordan, compared to Tiangou, Duncan, and Kobe, who have five rings, and if he wants to really threaten the throne of the first person in Jordan's history, he must at least lead the team to win another ring (only possible).
But the Lakers are currently in a deep quagmire and can not extricate themselves, not only relying on the current lineup, it is difficult to compete with the Warriors, Bucks and other teams, and the lineup is locked, there is almost no room for adjustment, and the chance of winning the championship this season cannot be said to be completely absent, but it is already very slim.
What's more, Westbrook's current contract won't expire until the summer of 2023, and in his current state, it's unlikely that he'll jump out of the $47 million player option for his final year. In other words, the Lakers' "Big Three" will still occupy nearly $130 million in salary space next season, which makes it difficult for Pelinka to conjure up any new tricks.
And after 2023, the 38-year-old James, how much success can he maintain? Even if he seeks other options other than the Lakers, it may be difficult to lead the team to the championship as the number one star.
Therefore, James's remaining three career goals, the difficulty of winning the fifth crown of his career is much higher than the other two goals, in the face of reality, he himself should also rationally recognize this. James will take the historical scoring king into his arms before the end of the current contract, and then decide what to do next based on his son's draft. As for whether he can win another championship after that, he can only give it to Providence.
In today's topic of "when Will James retire", many fans said that "if James retires, I am afraid I will cry on the spot." ”
But life is impermanent, and everything is beautiful, and it will eventually end. For a generation of idol superstars like James who accompany our youthful memories, all we can do is to see and cherish.
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