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Lakers News: Former LeBron James Finals Teammate Rooting For His Retirement ASAP

Should James retire sooner rather than later?

Matt Levine

As the Los Angeles Lakers enter the offseason, one of the biggest storylines surrounding them is the fate of star LeBron James. James has another year left on his deal but can opt-out with a player option to become a free agent.

In all likelihood, James will be back with the Lakers for Year 22. However, one former NBA center believes that he should hang it up.

During an appearance on ESPN's "First Take," former Cleveland Cavaliers-era James teammate Kendrick Perkins has called for the 20-time All-Star to retire sooner rather than later to avoid hurting his legacy any more than he already has.

"I wish LeBron James would retire. Not because I don't want to see more of LeBron James," Perkins said. "The more LeBron James continues to play the game of basketball, the more it's going to hurt his legacy and the more it's going to continue to hurt his GOAT argument."

While Perkins has a platform, respectfully his take on this is wrong. James' legacy is already set no matter what else he does over the last few years of his career.

He just finished year 21 of his career and is still one of the better players in the entire NBA. His longevity is something that we have never seen before in the NBA so at this point, he is just padding his legacy with every game he plays.

James is still chasing another championship, even if the Lakers' odds of winning one are questionable. He is one of the greatest players in the history of the sport and can't hurt his legacy whatsoever.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.