Los Angeles Lakers fans woke up very nervous on Tuesday because there was a chance that LeBron James was retiring.
Instead, James’ highly-publicized announcement was actually an ad for Hennessy.
Now, Lakers teammate Austin Reaves is speaking about “The Decision 2.0,” and he’s glad that James isn’t hanging up his jersey.
“Obviously, people thought he was retiring. I’m glad that he’s not,” Reaves said.
Austin Reaves on LeBron’s “The Decision 2.0”:
“Obviously, people thought he was retiring. I’m glad that he’s not.”
(via @LoJoMedia) pic.twitter.com/A53CVKnBQ1
— The Sporting Tribune (@SportingTrib) October 7, 2025
Reaves isn’t the only one glad that James is sticking around.
He is still a hugely important player even though he is going to be 41 years old in December.
For years, James was the heart and soul of the Lakers and their most important player.
That is changing a little bit because the team now has Luka Doncic, who is widely viewed as the future of the franchise.
But that doesn’t mean James is suddenly unimportant, and the Lakers still need him in order to find success.
James didn’t announce his retirement on Tuesday, but there is no doubt that his final days in the league are coming soon.
No matter how much he works out and how he treats his body, he won’t be in the NBA forever.
Reaves and the Lakers are aware of that, and they are putting together plans to survive without him.
Doncic is a major part of their plans, of course, but the front office is also adding more talent that will keep them competitive in a post-LeBron era.
Still, they don’t want that era to arrive soon.
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