Reporter explains why farewell tour could be difficult for LeBron James
LeBron James has graced the NBA for two decades. He's arguably the greatest player of all time. At age 39, he's still averaging 24.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 7.8 assists on 52 percent shooting from the field.
However, at some point, he will need to call time on his career. He can't keep playing forever. And the notion of a potential farewell tour has come up in James' recent media availabilities.
During a recent appearance on Sirius XM NBA Radio, Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports noted how he wasn't sure "LeBron could accept walking away" far enough in advance to orchestrate a farewell tour.
"LeBron is still a very productive player," Goodwill said. "This is nowhere near the best version of LeBron we've seen or that we'll see, and he's still 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. For him to make a decision in the summer, or for him to make a decision in November and say, 'This is my last season.' I don't know if he will come to grips with A, whatever his basketball mortality is, or declining effectiveness. I don't think it's that he doesn't want a farewell tour. I'm not sure he's at a point where he can accept walking away, six months before he will walk away."
James has always taken care of his body. He is capable of playing for another two or three years, assuming he avoids injury. Sooner or later, though, he will have to bow out. Whether he does that without warning or takes a farewell tour will ultimately make little difference. The league will be losing a legend.
We all know that day is eventually coming. Countless star-level talents are waiting to take his place as the face of the league. James will eventually need to accept his time in the NBA is over and begin moving into the next phase of his career. With each passing season, the noise surrounding his future will only continue to grow.
Whether James speaks on it publicly or not, he will likely have an idea of when he's going to bow out. That day will be a tough one for NBA fans around the world. Unfortunately, it's inevitable. Most fans will likely be hoping James treats it like a band-aid. After all, the NBA and its fans are just along for the ride.
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