Column: Lakers’ LeBron James Needs to Retire

LOS ANGELES — It’s time to pull the plug on the grand finale. After soaring to heights few have ever reached, LeBron James should have already left the stage: walked off, hugged his teammates, taken the confetti and champagne and said, “That’s a wrap.” Instead, we’re watching an aging icon, injured, distracted, and seemingly uninvested, stretch out a swan song no one asked for.

Let’s salute LeBron the champion: the scoring king, the basketball genius, the guy who grew the game globally, showed up with his son on the same court, and earned his rings — four of ’em, with three different franchises. His 2024‑25 numbers — 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists while shooting 51.3 percent — still looked respectable for a 40‑year‑old. But behold the strange beast of the 2025‑26 season: LeBron opts into a $52.6 million contract at 41 years old. He begins the season injured—a sciatic nerve issue, missing practice, missing the opener. And he’s visibly unexcited. The spark is gone. The urgency melted. The clarity of purpose? Fuggetaboutit.

Which begs the question: Why keep going? Why stretch out what should be the headline chapter into a footnote? The man has nothing to prove anymore. LeBron has done everything. The trophies, the accolades, the legacy, the breaking records—passed Kareem, set scoring marks, done the “father‑son duo” thing. Yet here we are: LeBron winding down in L.A., on a roster built around him and one other marquee star, yet without the zeal one expects of championship pursuit. It feels like dragging for the sake of dragging.

And let’s talk about those “bronsexuals” on Twitter—the deluded ride‑the‑meat fans who still tweet “King forever” and “The GOAT” every time someone mentions a faint whisper of possibility. You know the ones: every miss is a “charming vintage LeBron fadeaway,” every injury a “strategic load management masterpiece.” Give me a break. We aren’t buying the fairy tale anymore. We want the story to end, not keep limping along.