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The NBA’s Christmas special has been about LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry over the last decade. First, it was the Warriors vs. Cavaliers in 2015, 2016, and 2018. Six years later, two of the biggest names in the world of basketball met again on Dec 25. Only this time, Bron had donned Los Angeles’ jersey. But this wasn’t just another holiday showdown. It felt different. It felt final. Both legends have hinted it might be their last days in the league are around the corner, and Lakers HC JJ Redick is fanning the flames.
Could this really be goodbye? Just not too long ago, Stephen Curry while speaking with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, admitted that the end is near. “It’s okay to accept and acknowledge that the end is near at whatever point,” Curry noted. And well, he found support in LeBron James, and the soon-to-be 40-year-old All-Time Scoring Leader indicated something similar. But, you know, such claims are often not reality.
Someone closely associated with James Sr., has more to share about the whole retirement situation out there. JJ Redick, spoke to the media in a post-game presser after the Los Angeles Lakers’ 115-113 win in a game of survival against the Golden State Warriors. There, the Lakers HC shared his thoughts on LeBron’s game.
The 40-year-old Laker HC said: “It’s been awesome. And it’s been different, and I think part of that is him just enjoying the moment. You don’t have many of these left. That’s just reality. And the joy that I’ve seen day to day is just… it’s been awesome.” To begin with, the match wasn’t smooth, with multiple highs and lows. Despite that, the veteran forward registered 31 points and showed his defensive prowess.
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Well, there it is. “Don’t have many of these left. That’s just reality.” It won’t be a surprise if the LeBron James fans just cling to these words and say silent prayers that their favorite doesn’t retire anytime soon. But, standing at 40, the 20x All-Star will hang his boots someday. And, that someday might come sooner or later. Stephen Curry, at 36 is already thinking about retirement, so don’t you think James does it too? Of course, he does.
“It’s okay to think about retirement,” LeBron James said with a smile, after winning the game vs. the Warriors on Wednesday. He was simply referencing the previous remarks Stephen Curry made about (verbatim) being in the last phase of his career, acknowledging the truth and enjoying every moment.
Thus LeBron further added: “For us, we don’t know how many times we’re going to be able to have this match up uh. We don’t know how many times we’re going to be able to step on the floor. But, when we do, we try to give them a game, what they deserve. And, because it’s given us so much, we try to give it right back”
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And of course, fans don’t love the idea of Bron talking about his retirement. But, it’s the truth you’ve got to make peace with at some point. We’re surely not going to have the superstar around for too long. And yes, the same goes for Stephen Curry. Both stars had a stellar 30+ points game against each other on Christmas. Steph scored an insane 38 points and LeBron was at 31.
You could see that they were enjoying the game, soaking in every bit before their last dance, which is something to think about now but won’t happen at least until 2026 (JUST ASSUMING!). However, with the amount of retirement conversations being triggered around in recent days, it’s safe to say, these veterans are up to something. They must have something going on in their minds. Otherwise, why would the same topic come up now and then?
