Lakers’ Rob Pelinka Appears to End LeBron James Retirement Rumors

The rumblings surrounding LeBron James’s possible retirement appear to have been put to rest by the Los Angeles GM.

Following the Lakers’ loss to the Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Western Conference finals, LeBron James dropped a bit of a bombshell on the NBA world by failing to rule out retirement. Speculation subsequently spread like wildfire and brought a mixture of reactions from some observers who believed it could happen and others who essentially scoffed at the idea.

But as the 2023-24 season inches closer, all the pieces of the puzzle are coming together—and it looks more likely than not that LeBron will be back plying his trade in the league this upcoming season.

To drive home that point a bit, comments by Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka during the team’s Summer League game against the Warriors should allow fans to feel at least a bit of relief. While speaking on the broadcast, Pelinka said James is “doing the behind-the-scenes work” to get ready for the season, per Peter Dewey of Lakers Daily.

“Well, we’ll always let LeBron speak for himself, but we were all excited to see his Instagram post the other day where he was giving love to his new teammates, and the great leader he is doing the behind-the-scenes work to get things ready for the season,” Pelinka said.

Pelinka’s point about LeBron’s greeting to new teammates is another positive sign for the team. After reports of the team’s moves began pouring in, James took to Instagram and posted photos of the newest members of the Lakers.

pic.twitter.com/wbQvnWbZ4R

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 1, 2023

Obviously, James’s status for 2023-24 won’t be official until word arrives from James himself that he’s set to suit up again for the Lakers. But on the surface, the outlook appears positive that he’ll be ready to help Los Angeles make a push for another championship.