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James retiring? You still have a $97 million contract and teammates with your son

He scored 40 points and 10 rebounds with just 4.3 seconds of rest, but even if James became "All-out James", he still couldn't stop the Lakers from being "swept" at home.

After the game, an even more explosive news flooded social networks.

Just after James expressed that "there are many things to think about, I don't know what will happen in the future", many American media broke the news, "James is not sure whether he will return before the start of next season, he may consider retiring in the offseason."

James retiring? You still have a $97 million contract and teammates with your son

James also has to think about his future.

For a time, public opinion boiled, whether it was "Zhan Hei" or "Zhan Mi" shouted on social networks: "Old Zhan can't retire, we're still waiting to see father and son basketball" "Lao Zhan can't retire, you still have two years of $97 million contract to earn it."

In fact, just before losing this series, James was still excited about his eldest son Brownie joining USC - at that time, the scene of James father and son playing together seemed to be in front of him.

But now, can we wait until father and son are on the same stage?

James retiring? You still have a $97 million contract and teammates with your son

Gordon and Murray defended James' final offense.

Say goodbye to the NBA like that?

In the final four seconds of the game, the Lakers were still trailing by two points at home, and Rivers passed the ball out of bounds to James.

At that moment, James did not hesitate in the slightest, turned around and rushed to the basket, but his last breakthrough was interfered with by Aaron Gordon, who jumped high...

James' last offense of the season came to an abrupt end, and the Lakers, who created the "Black Seven Miracle" all the way, stopped.

At this time, the Nuggets players surrounded Jokic and celebrated the first Finals trip in team history, and James just walked past them, briefly greeted Jokic, and walked into the player tunnel without looking back.

His disappointment and frustration were reflected in his actions and throughout his post-match speech.

"This Nuggets team is an elite team, and they are one of the best teams I've faced with Anthony Davis in four years together. Not reaching the finals was no fun for me. ”

James retiring? You still have a $97 million contract and teammates with your son

Gordon and James clashed.

Immediately afterwards, the 38-year-old James showed a hint of resignation.

"I haven't thought about next season yet and I don't know what will happen. I have to think about [leaving the NBA]. ”

As soon as these words came out, they instantly stirred up a thousand waves, because the "emperor" had every strength to continue fighting in the alliance.

In this year's playoffs, James averaged 24.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists per game, shooting nearly 50%, and was the scoring and assist king of the Lakers' "Black Seven Miracle".

Even throughout the season, James played in 55 regular season games, averaging 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game.

In February this year, he surpassed Abdul-Jabbar to become the first person on the NBA's all-time scoring list; Not only that, but he is also the only player in NBA history to simultaneously score more than 38,000 points, rebounds of more than 10,000, and assists of more than 10,000.

Even in the final game of the Western Conference Finals, James is still setting a new record - he went to the court 5 hours early to warm up, not only became the oldest "Mr. 40" in NBA playoff history, but also set a "40+5+5" data for the 26th time in the playoffs, no one can beat it.

In farewell to the season, his playoff total also exceeded the 8,000-point mark, setting a new NBA record.

According to US media analysis, James's "retirement remarks" also have another meaning - he may want to use such a statement to make the Lakers' management have greater actions in the offseason.

After all, today Irving is back in Los Angeles to watch the game.

James retiring? You still have a $97 million contract and teammates with your son

Jokic roared in celebration of the victory.

All I think about is my son

Perhaps James is indeed tired, compared to the "tiredness" when he led the Knights against the Warriors a few years ago, James now feels physically and mentally exhausted.

On the court, James, who had only 4 seconds of rest in the game, could only take advantage of the gap between timeouts and fouls to catch his breath; Off the field, he also has to be a spiritual leader and a coach, setting tactics for his teammates.

But in fact, in this playoff, James still encountered something that excited him, and even the motivation that seemed likely to allow James to continue playing on the court - that is, "father and son basketball".

James retiring? You still have a $97 million contract and teammates with your son

James mentors his son.

Just after leading the Lakers to a series against the Warriors in this year's Western Conference semifinals to 2-1, James spoke to reporters with interest about the "happy event" of his oldest son Brownie joining USC.

"Today must be the best day of my life because Brownie promised to join USC." James' excitement was palpable, "I'm very proud that someone in my family went to college, and he was the first in our family to go to college. ”

James specifically emphasized "the first college student in the family", which is partly because he still has a period of unhappiness in the playoffs in his heart.

In the 2011 Finals, the Mavericks live host introduced James with this: "Next up in Miami was LeBron James from St. Vincent Mary High School — he didn't go to college and wasn't very literate — wearing the number 6 jersey. ”

James retiring? You still have a $97 million contract and teammates with your son

In addition, a few seasons ago, when James chose to become "All-out Jen", he would always temporarily close his social account to avoid outside influence, and in this year's playoffs, he not only opened his own social account, but also left the most important position of the account to his eldest son.

Just during the Western Conference Finals, James updated his personal social media, posted a photo of Brownie's school choice signing scene, and wrote with the text: "Brownie signed the USC School Choice Letter yesterday, my child, I am extremely proud and proud of you."

James, who is comparable to Chinese parents in terms of "chicken dolls", finally sees the hope of brownie entering the NBA.

As early as when James left the Cavaliers to join the Lakers, the American media analyzed his choice to lay out for Brownie's NBA future.

Before the start of this season, James also directly incarnated as "Coach Jen" and became the head coach of Brownie's team, briefly responsible for the team's training arrangements and tactical planning, in order to help his son who was about to enter the draft.

James retiring? You still have a $97 million contract and teammates with your son

James coaches son Brownie on the sidelines.

The teammate who has been waiting for many years is actually his own son?

Over the years, Brownie never seems to have been favored by the outside world.

First, he revealed that he had suffered a serious injury, and the prospects of the NBA draft were worrying, and then he fell into rumors because of his love life... He is considered to be less tall than James, less talented than James, and less delicate in technique.

It was in such a singing decline that Brownie broke the perception of the outside world step by step.

While growing 4 centimeters taller, Brownie has also become stronger, and in his scouting videos, there are more highlights of "offensive and defensive integration" such as flat basket dunks and chasing big hats.

James retiring? You still have a $97 million contract and teammates with your son

Brownie shoots fashion photos.

Today, ESPN places Brownie at No. 19 in the National Freshman Rankings, and several other authoritative draft rankings even include Brownie in the "lotto zone."

His ability to handle the ball has become more mature, his rhythm control in the game has become more stable, and he has begun to understand how to use his strong body to put pressure on opponents like his father, and can cut off opponents through high-intensity defense.

James retiring? You still have a $97 million contract and teammates with your son

It is precisely for this reason that when scouts predicted the future development template of Brownie, many experts chose the top "3D player" in the NBA league, Jue Holloday.

Interestingly, James now lacks such a stable "3D player" around him.

On the night the Lakers were swept away, ESPN experts gave advice for the Lakers next season: The first is to consider renewing Rivers and Hachimura.

These two players are the only shooters on the team to shoot more than 40 percent from three-point range in the playoffs; In addition, the Lakers need to consider the reinforcement focus is bench depth, defensive intensity and three-point shooting stability.

James retiring? You still have a $97 million contract and teammates with your son

This is why many fans have ridiculed: "After joining the Lakers for so many years, James was looking for a teammate of the top 3D player, but he didn't expect it to be his son." ”

So when James talks about retirement, he still leaves a lot of "space", as he himself said, "there are a lot of things to consider in the offseason", one of the big things worth considering is "waiting to compete with the eldest son".

Just before the Lakers lost the last game of the season, ESPN also wrote an article detailing how close the USC stadium is to the Lakers' court next season, and how convenient the transportation is.

Will that less than 4km distance and less than 7 minutes drive change James' mind?

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