LeBron James’ ex-rivals beg him to retire after lackluster performance in 1st round exit

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is at a crossroad rethinking his future in the NBA after another 1st round playoff exit.

LeBron James’ ex-rivals beg him to retire after lackluster performance in 1st round exit

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James' former rivals want him to retire (Image via Bleacher Report/X)

LeBron James finds himself in a bit of a conflict again after another early exit in the NBA playoffs. He wants to continue playing the game he loves, but knows what it takes to be good enough to continue. Now, as the Los Angeles Lakers sit down to understand how they can improve, the superstar heads home disappointed.

After JJ Redick was hired, he was excited knowing his podcast mate was going to revitalize their playing style. He fulfilled that promise, first with Anthony Davis on the roster and then after Luka Doncic came in. Redick proved that he can devise game plans no matter who is on the roster.

However, when the playoffs came about, those plans and schemes did not work out. Doncic struggled, and so did James and the rest of the team. Most notably, the latter was exposed defensively after playing well on that side of the ball in the regular season. Now, one of his former rivals believes he should walk away before he further embarrasses himself.

LeBron, retire. I wish he retired, cause I don’t like seeing that s**t. S**t that didn’t happen to LeBron, I’m starting to see it happening to LeBron. 6 foot 18th year point guard blocking him, no…

Jeff Teague said

Jeff Teague was speaking on the Club 520 Podcast and added that if James continues, he should be demoted to at least be the third option for the Lakers. His co-panelists believe the 40-year-old needs to fix his conditioning, but Teague believes there are more problems than that.

Another former rival believes Lakers should move on from LeBron James era

The conditioning of LeBron James is a picky subject right now. Many folks believe that it is too much to ask a 40-year-old to play the entire second half. At the same time, another former rival, Paul Pierce, believes the Los Angeles Lakers will be better off moving on from him.

If the Lakers want to get back to being a championship contender, you have to get out of the constraints of the LeBron James era. He’s done some wonderful things for the Lakers organization. They’re probably gonna build a statue in front of Crypto.com Arena. They have to say, ‘Bron, we appreciate your services, I think we should move on.’

Paul Pierce said

Pierce believes the Lakers have to hand the reins completely to Luka Doncic. For that to happen, whatever hold LeBron James had over this organization has to be removed. Only then can they move into the new era and hope to win NBA titles.

Pierce knows it will be difficult to have that conversation. But he believes if they keep listening to him, or try to satisfy him, they could peg themselves back. It is not certain if the franchise wants to go that way, knowing he wants to win another title with them.

Rob Pelinka wants to get James the roster he wants

Los Angeles Lakers GM Rob Pelinka was at their facilities taking questions as part of the end-of-season exit interviews. One of the questions reporters asked was when LeBron James joked about adding a center to their team.

LeBron James still wants to play basketball
LeBron James still wants to play basketball (Image via NBA TV/X)

He is a completely selfless leader… moving to playing more off the ball, committing to the defensive end. It’s a testament to his championship DNA and character. I think LeBron’s gonna have high expectations of the roster, and we are going to do everything to meet those. We also know that he is going to give his 100% every night.

Rob Pelinka said

If Rob Pelinka is to be believed, there is a chance his team goes after one of the free-agent centers that will be available this offseason. The Lakers do not need another scorer. What they need is a rebounding machine that can also man the post against other big men. That should help them fix a lot of the problems they had in this first-round playoff series.

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