LeBron James Retirement: How He Wants to Be Remembered

In an exclusive interview with NBA reporter, Melissa Rohlin, James sounded openly reflective about what retirement might look like, and how he sees himself being remembered.

"I kind of look at it like when you lose a loved one and you have a funeral," James said. "People tend to be sad, but it's also a celebration of life. I think for me, when I'm done with this game, it'll be a celebration of life and not of loss. It'll be a celebration of everything I've been able to accomplish in this game, everything I've put into it. The moments, all the love."

Considering that James is still averaging 21.4 points, seven assists and nearly six rebounds per game, it almost feels a little crazy to get such a "closure" type of tone from the four-time NBA Finals MVP.

But keep in mind that James is the very first player in NBA history to even play a 23rd season, having entered the Association at the age of 18.

So whether James' retirement announcement and inevitable farewell tour comes next season, or even a two to three years from now, he sounds more than content on where he already stands in terms of NBA legacy and impact on the sport:

"Listen, I've dedicated to this sport. I've never cheated the game. I've showed up every day on time. I've put my work in both on the court, off the court. Just showed grace. That's what it's about. I've just wanted to maximize and squeeze everything I could out of the game because I understood what it gave me, my family and everything. So I was never going to disrespect the game gods. Hopefully there are some highlights in there between my years I've played this game. But I never cheated the game. Ever."

While many users on various social media platforms have predictably chosen to react to such a quote from "LBJ" with a sea of flopping memes and GIFs, along with all sorts of unsubstantiated rumors, it might be wiser to focus on the potential insanity of James linking up with Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors when he becomes a free agent in the offseason.