“Bron does play chess”: Austin Reaves unsure if LeBron James tried creating a distraction with retirement talks

After LeBron James and the LA Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals, James left fans and media members stunned. As he explained, after the frustrating loss, he wanted to take some time to think things over before next season.

Given that he had just completed his 20th year in the NBA, many fans wondered what LeBron James' retirement talks meant. While he was still under contract with the LA Lakers, the combination of the disappointing loss to Denver and his age left many fans concerned.

Fortunately, during his ESPY acceptance speech, James confirmed that he would in fact be returning for Year 21. According to Austin Reaves, who spoke on a recent episode of the Full Send Podcast, James may have been using some chess strategy to throw everyone off:

"Obviously I didn't want it to be true because I wanted to play with him longer, but yeah I don't know, you see all the stuff about how they think that it was to cloud the judgement because we got sweeped or all that stuff, and I honestly have no idea if it was.

"Bron does play chess, so he's a smart man."

2023 FIBA World Cup - USA Men's National Team Practice - Las Vegas

What did LeBron James say to refute retirement talks this offseason?

Whether or not LeBron James was simply trying to take the heat off the fact that the Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets, his comments left many worried. The thought of James retiring from the league without a farewell tour seemed to be both shocking and confusing.

Although sources close to James said that he wouldn't be retiring, there had been no word from King James himself. It wasn't until he was accepting the ESPY award for 'Best Record-Breaking Performance' that he quelled the worries of fans. He said:

The 2015 ESPYS - Show

"In that moment, [I was] asking myself if I can still play without cheating the game. Can I give everything to the game still? The truth is, I've been asking myself this question at the end of the season for a couple years now, I just never openly talked about it.

"The real question for me is, 'Can I play without cheating the game?' The day I can't give the game everything on the floor is the day I'll be done. Luckily for you guys, today is not that day."

As Austin Reaves looks to continue his run with Team USA at the FIBA World Cup later this month, fans are eager to see him and LeBron James on the court together.