There has been a question mark surrounding Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James’ future all season as he navigates his 23rd year in the league.<\/p>\n
James’ contract with the Lakers is expiring, so he will have the ability to test free agency this offseason. That is if he even wants to continue playing though, as the 41-year-old has not committed to anything beyond this season.<\/p>\n
Even though LeBron is still playing at an All-Star level, it’s natural for fans, media and even himself to consider if this will be his final season.<\/p>\n
He has not yet made that decision, however, as James again emphasized during All-Star Weekend that he doesn’t know what the future holds.<\/p>\n
“Yeah, I mean, I want to live. When I know, you guys will know,” James said during his annual press conference. “I don’t know. I have no idea. I just want to live. That’s all.”<\/p>\n
What LeBron was willing to talk about though was that he plans to spend a lot of time with his friends and family whenever he does hang it up.<\/p>\n
“No. I think what I want to do at 45, 50 and 55 will be a lot of creating great vibes and fun with my family and my friends,” he said. “That’s one of my passions, to create memories that will last forever. That’s for sure the most important for me, creating things we’ll never, ever forget. My family and my friends, looking forward to that.”<\/p>\n
James has earned the right to decide his own future, but that decision will likely come sometime in the offseason. For now, his focus is on trying to win a championship with the Lakers, and they are in fifth place in the Western Conference going into the second half of the season.<\/p>\n
In the past, LeBron James has discussed a desire to own an NBA team after he is done playing. He was asked if that is still the case during All-Star Weekend and remained noncommittal.<\/p>\n
“There’s a lot of things that I have on the table that I could tap into if I want to, that being one of them,” LeBron said. “There’s other ventures as well that I’ll continue to explore and then see what will engage me and motivate me post-career. Right now, I’m still locked in on what’s going in right now with our season, and that’s where my mind is.”<\/p>\n