By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
LeBron James put up some quite remarkable numbers this season, especially considering that he’s 38. He finished 2022-23 with 28.9 points (the most by a player aged 38), 8.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists in the regular season, along with 24.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists in the playoffs.
What makes this output even more impressive is the fact that LeBron apparently struggled with an ongoing injury in the last stretch of the season. According to Shams Charania, James played through a torn tendon in his foot and may undergo an operation to repair it this summer.
“He played the last few months of the season with a torn tendon in his foot that could need surgery this summer,” Charania said on the Pat McAfee Show. “I’m told he’s reevaluating that foot. It’s very possible that he might need surgery on this foot that could sideline him for two months. Two months in the offseason to get that foot right.”
After the Lakers’ eliminating Game 4 loss to Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals, James made some cryptic comments about his future that led to a lot of speculation that he may have played the last game of his career.
“We’ll see, we’ll see what happens going forward,” James said. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ve got a lot to think about, to be honest. I’ve got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just for me, going forward with the game of basketball, I’ve got a lot to think about. Appreciate it.”
“Do I expect him to retire? I don’t,” Charania commented.