LeBron James knows what he wants to do next summer: Head to Paris for the Summer Olympics.
At Lakers’ media day Monday, LeBron confirmed his interest in going for a third Olympic gold medal with Team USA next summer, via Arash Markazi of The Messenger.
“Yeah, I do have interest,” LeBron said when asked if he would be interested in playing in the Olympics next year. “We’ll see what happens but from the players that we have here that I can think of off the top of my head that could fill that roster up, I don’t think it would be too much of a physical toll. I wouldn’t have to do much. Rebound a little bit, pass a little bit, defend, block some shots. We’ll see what happens.”
Before that happens, LeBron is all in on this Lakers season with a team he believes can contend — and LeBron said he is dedicating this season to his family, particularly his son Bronny who suffered cardiac arrest this summer and has been undergoing treatment and recovery.
Those Lakers — after a series of moves at the trade deadline returned the Lakers roster around LeBron and Anthony Davis to the defenders and shooters model that won them the ring in the bubble in 2020 — made a run to the Western Conference Finals. This summer, the Lakers re-signed the core of that team — Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura got new deals — and added quality to it with point guard Gabe Vincent (who was starting for the Heat in the Finals last year) and big men Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood.
“I’m very optimistic that we can pick up where we left off and I don’t mean with the loss in the series but how we played from the trade deadline all the way to the Western Conference finals,” LeBron said. ‘I’m very optimistic in seeing where we can pick up from there. With the continuity and the chemistry, there shouldn’t be much teaching when it comes to us getting back on the floor. We have that chemistry.”
However, after that LeBron was non-committal about his future. LeBron has a player option with the Lakers next summer for $51.4 million, he could pick up that option, he could opt out and become a free agent (then re-sign with the Lakers or another team), or he could retire after 21 NBA seasons. LeBron has not made up his mind about that.
LeBron asked if this could be his last season: “I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m happy right now, I’m excited, looking forward to tomorrow. I don’t know what the end of this road, or this season looks like.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 2, 2023
LeBron is going to let what should be an interesting season play out in Los Angeles first,
And then head to Paris.
