Kyrie Irving reached out to LeBron James to see if Lakers star would leave LA, report says
Kyrie Irving greets LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers as he attends a basketball game between Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies Round 1 Game 6 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES - The off-season chatter continues surrounding LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
After the Lakers were swept by the eventual Western Conference champs Denver Nuggets, James issued a cryptic comment about possibly considering retirement.
"We'll see what happens going forward," James said on May 23. "I got a lot to think about, to be honest."
Since leaving that cryptic comment, speculation has risen on where "King James" will take his talents next season.
Now, fellow NBA star Kyrie Irving has reportedly entered the picture in the apparent LeBron sweepstakes. According to a report from The Athletic's Shams Charania, Irving reached out to James to see if the 38-year-old would be interested in joining him and Luka Doncic in Dallas.
It is worth noting that Irving is a free agent this offseason while James remains under contract with the Lakers for the 2023-2024 season, on top of a player option for the 2024-2025 season.
While the Lakers fell short of making the NBA Finals this season, James ended the 2022-2023 campaign on a historic note. In February, James passed fellow Laker legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become NBA's all-time leading scorer. He was named the league's all-star for the 19th time in his already-storied career and made the cut for All-NBA Third Team.