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LeBron James Announces Return For 2023-24 Season In ESPY Speech

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 07: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after scoring to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer, surpassing Abdul-Jabbar's career total of 38,387 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena on February 07, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James announced Wednesday that he would remain in the NBA for the 2023-24 season. It will be his 21st year in the league and sixth for the Lakers.

James made his return announcement at the ESPY Awards ceremony, where he was honored for Best Record-Breaking Performance. The future Hall-of-Famer surpassed fellow Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most career points in February.

“I don’t care how many more points I score or what I can or cannot do on the floor,” James said in his acceptance speech. “The real question for me is, can I play without cheating this game? The day I can’t give the game everything on the floor is the day I’ll be done. Lucky for you guys, that day is not today.”

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Immediately following an emphatic sweep at the hands of Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, James said that he was seriously considering retirement. But he slowly began to backtrack on the thought as the offseason progressed, frequently posting Lakers content on social media and following the team’s free agency moves.

In the past, James has been very ambitious with his future plans in the NBA, even as he crept into his late 30s. Instead of setting any statistical benchmark for himself, he has most frequently said that he hopes to share the floor with his son, Bronny James, who recently committed to play at USC next season. He is already being projected as a first-rounder in the 2024 NBA Draft.

“I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny,” James told ESPN in January. “Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him … But I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would be ideal for sure … I ask him what are his aspirations, and he says he wants to play in the NBA. So, if he wants do to it, he’s got to put in the work. I’m here already, so, I’m just waiting on him.”

James has already won a championship in Los Angeles when the team won in the 2020 pandemic season, but the team struggled in subsequent seasons before finally turning it around after the trade deadline this year. With James back on the payroll for another season, the Lakers can continue building on last season’s postseason run.