Sports personality Cari Champion sent Lakers fans into a tizzy when she shared a message about LeBron James’ future with the franchise.
The Lakers are on the brink of being sent into the offseason by the reigning NBA champion Nuggets in their first-round playoff series, with Game 5 set for Monday in Denver.
“Just got a text from my friend. He says tonight is LeBron’s last game in purple and gold,” Champion wrote on X hours before the elimination contest at Ball Arena.
In a follow-up post, Champion, a diehard Lakers fan, wrote, “If that is true, I have appreciated every moment.”
James — who is in his 21st season and will turn 40 in December — signed a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension with the Lakers in September 2022, which includes a player option for 2024-25 worth $51.4 million.
When someone replied with: “Um … is this friend a credible source? You might wanna elaborate here,” Champion said, “It was a thought not a fact – whatever LeBron does with his future – I’m grateful he did it for the HOME TEAM.”
Champion, a former “SportsCenter” anchor, didn’t elaborate further.
Meanwhile, the Lakers will fight to keep their season alive against a Denver team that ended their 2023 campaign.
James spoke publicly about the potential end of his career for the first time after the Lakers were swept by the Nuggets in the 2023 Western Conference finals.
“We’ll see what happens going forward. I don’t know… I’ve got a lot to think about to be honest,” he said at the time. “Just for me personally, going forward, the game of basketball, I’ve got a lot to think about.”
The four-time NBA champion told ESPN at the time that he was considering retirement last offseason.
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said “it’s a priority to the Laker brand that he retire a Laker” in a 2022 interview with The Athletic.
James — who became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer last February — has said on multiple occasions that he hopes to play with his oldest son, Bronny James, in the NBA before hanging up his jersey for good.
Bronny announced he entered both the 2024 NBA Draft and the transfer portal earlier this month after playing one season at USC.
The 19-year-old Bronny suffered cardiac arrest during a USC workout at the Galen Center last July, and missed the first eight games of his freshman season with the Trojans.
“It is an anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect which can and will be treated,” a James family spokesperson said at the time.
Bronny can choose to withdraw from the draft and retain his college eligibility next season.
