Watch Stephen A. Smith ROASTED by JJ Reddick on live TV, “3 games at South Dakota, Winston-Salem State doesn’t count”

LeBron James threw some shade on his potential retirement.

Watch Stephen A. Smith ROASTED by JJ Reddick on live TV, “3 games at South Dakota, Winston-Salem State doesn’t count”

Stephen A. Smith (L- Image via Eric Espada/Getty Images) and JJ Redick (R- Image via Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a humiliating series in the Western Conference Finals. Playing against the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers were swept clean as they lost 4-0. After their loss in Game 4, everyone around the NBA was waiting for LeBron James’ comments. James, contrary to popular expectation, didn’t look agitated after the loss. In fact, he got the entire NBA community to hold their breath as he hinted at retirement.

Although James didn’t clearly say it, he insinuated that he was possibly contemplating an end to his long NBA career. After fans and critics were shocked to see his mellow response, many are discussing whether or not the veteran plans to call it quits. NBA analysts Stephen A. Smith, JJ Redick and Brian Windhorst discussed the same which led to quite a hilarious moment on live TV.

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Stephen A. Smith and JJ Redick were discussing about LeBron James’ retirement on ESPN’s First Take. “Everything he does is for a reason and whether this is to put a little bit of pressure on the Lakers to improve the roster, whether this is to send a sub-tweet to his teammates. Whatever it is, there’s a reason he did this. But I believe there’s some earnesty in these comments It’s not just for a calculated reason,” he said. “He’s coming off year 20 age 38, a long playoff run where he’s had to play a ton of minutes with an injury. It’s just human nature that you would begin to say ‘Oh. Maybe I’m nearing the end.”

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Stephen A. Smith then replied to Redick’s comment and said “I listened to every word JJ just said. I don’t understand much of what he just said, but I listened.” This is when Redick clapped back at him and said“Well, you didn’t play Stephen A. You don’t understand our athletic mortality. 3 games at, wherever, South Dakota, Winston-Salem State doesn’t count.” His response left co-analyst Brian Windhorst amused.

Related: JJ Redick CALLS OUT Doc Rivers after Celtics destroy 76ers in Game 7

Is LeBron James likely to retire?

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LeBron James for the Los Angeles Lakers (Image via Getty)

LeBron James has been a strong force in the NBA. He was drafted back in 2003 by the Cleveland Cavaliers and went on to make history in the next 20 years that were to come. James is a four-time league MVP, four-time NBA championship, 19-time all-star and the all-time leading scorer in the league.

After the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated in the 2023 Western Conference Finals, James was asked about his future in the NBA. He replied saying “We’ll see what happens going forward. But I don’t know. I got a lot to think about to be honest.” Although it was pretty candid, his response has sent fans into a frenzy as they believe James was genuinely hinting at a possible retirement from the league.

Although nothing has been said yet, it is quite likely that the NBA veteran might make an exit from the league. He has been in tremendous shape, however, he visibly struggled towards the back end of the 2023 Playoffs. Moreover, at age 38, James has already gone past the average athlete retirement age. While some believe he will, whether or not he does retire remains to be seen. However, if he does, the Los Angeles Lakers would have big shoes to fill alongside players like Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves.

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