LeBron James Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James isn't sure if he wants farewell retirement tour

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 2/18/24

LeBron James knows he is getting close to the end of his career, and that means he is already starting to think about how he wants to exit the NBA. During his All-Star media availability on Sunday he said he is 50-50 on whether or not he wants to go with a farewell retirement tour, or if he just wants to "Tim Duncan it" and call it quits without announcing it ahead of time.

He talked about the pros and cons of both, including how he thinks he owes it to his fans around the league, but also acknowledging he doesn't always receive praise well.

Here he is discussing the possibility of each path.

Lakers’ LeBron James: “I don’t know how many seasons I have left. I know it’s not that many. … I was asked this question a couple days ago: ‘Will you take the farewell tour or just Tim Duncan it?’ I’m 50/50.” pic.twitter.com/G6olIePlnG
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) February 18, 2024

James has been one of the most significant players in NBA history and is generally considered to be, at worst, the second or third greatest player to ever step on an NBA floor. He has NBA championships with three different franchises (Miami, Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers) and is consistently one of the most powerful forces and voices the league has ever seen.

Given all of that, it seems hard to imagine James not getting the retirement tour honor and instead walking off quietly into the sunset. With all due respect to Duncan and his greatness -- and he was unquestionably great -- even his career does not stack up to the impact and legacy of James.

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