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LeBron James sent the NBA community into a frenzy after saying he would prefer to play for the Golden State Warriors. Fans have come at him for his decision, saying he only wants to deny Steph Curry the NBA Finals MVP award.
The LA Lakers captain made this revelation on "The Shop," a show he produces. Although the episode is yet to be released, the snippet revealed that he picked the Warriors as the remaining playoff team he would play for.
The only two teams remaining in the postseason are the Warriors and the Boston Celtics. The series is tied at 1-1 as the action continues with Game 3 on Wednesday night.
In an earlier episode, James mentioned Curry as the player he would like to play with. Fans also had the same reaction, saying he would take the spotlight away from the Warriors guard.
Following James' comments, fans have taken to Reddit to slam the 18-time All-Star. Some said he wanted to ride the bus to another championship.
However, others believe he wants to follow in Kevin Durant's footsteps after playing a season with Russell Westbrook.
Even with these huge refusals, a few believe the move might benefit everyone. James once said he would join any team that signs his son, Bronny, and a fan suggested the Warriors go for Bronny.
The context of the question posed to James is not entirely clear, as only a snippet was released. But that has not stopped fans from expressing their utter displeasure with James' answer.
While these are hypotheticals, fans are not putting it past the man who championed player empowerment to pull off such a move.
LeBron James has one more year on his contract with the LA Lakers
In the 2021 offseason, LBJ signed a two-year contract extension with the Lakers. With that, he will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2022-23 season.
The Lakers had a terrible 2021-22 season, going 33-49 and missing the playoffs in their entirety. It was even more disappointing given the expectations many had for the team coming into the season and the caliber of players on their roster.
However, an outstanding display from James in Year 19 was not enough to rally the team to success. They finished 11th in the Western Conference.
Although Los Angeles does not have wiggle room to make changes to its roster, James has declared that he will not be missing the playoffs anymore. While winning a championship is a long shot, betting against him playing in the playoffs might be unwise.
It is unclear where James will play after his contract with the Lakers is over. However, it is evident that he will not be retiring yet.
The four-time champ has made it clear that he wants to play with his son in the NBA. Bronny will not be eligible for the draft until 2024.
Any of the 30 teams that go after Bronny will get LeBron as an add-on if he follows through on his intentions. At this point, LBJ has revealed that money will not be a motivating factor for him.
James (37,062 points) could surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) as the NBA's all-time leading scorer this coming season. If he manages to score 1,326 points, the title is his.
