NBA (DR) / Keith Allison (CC)

Eight years after the retirement of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James could also prepare to play his last NBA season in the ranks of the Lakers. In this context, a former teammate of the Mamba compared the situation of the two legends.

In all likelihood, he should celebrate his 40th anniversary as an NBA player.

Although his future with the Lakers remains somewhat uncertain, LeBron James does not yet seem ready to hang up his sneakers.

His latest performances tend to justify this decision, he who always seems like a big problem for the teams he faces.

However, his career cannot last forever.

At the dawn of his 22nd season in the league, the King knows that his time on the court is numbered. 

He’s been brutally honest about it in recent months and needs to start thinking about the timing and manner in which he retires.

So many subjects which are obviously causing a lot of discussion in the US media at the moment.

LeBron James in the same situation as Kobe Bryant in 2015?

Regular consultant on the show Run It Back , Lou Williams recently looked into the James file and thinks that the 2024-25 season will remain like his last:

Lou Williams: I believe it because the Lakers will surely get Bronny back in the Draft with one of their choices. This will allow LeBron to accomplish one of his goals, knowing that he wanted to play with his son.

Beyond this simple criterion potentially soon fulfilled, the signals recently sent back by LeBron’s body would remind Lou Will of the scenario experienced by a certain… Kobe Bryant :

Lou Williams: I think LeBron is still capable of playing for two more seasons, but he also said that his thinking will be carried out year by year.

I have already seen this movie.

I played with Kobe on his last season, and I can tell you that LeBron is in the same situation. Kobe started his last season completely.

He was ready to give it his all, then he realized his body wasn’t going to be able to give him what he wanted, and it all turned into a farewell tour.

After 10 or 12 games, Kobe launched his farewell tour, but he wasn’t there.

If Williams compares LBJ’s situation here to that of Kobe, some nuances must nevertheless be brought to his point.

At the start of the 2015-16 campaign, the Black Mamba remained in a total of 41 matches played in two seasons due to serious injuries.

Suffice to say that his physique turned out to be much more damaged than that of Bron, still dashing at almost 40 years old despite some persistent glitches.

For Lou Williams, the physical wear and tear of LeBron James would be similar to that deplored by Kobe Bryant on the eve of his final season in the NBA.

Only the future will make it possible to legitimize the comparison drawn up by the former Sixth Man of the Year.