LeBron James is in uncharted territory. Now in his record-setting 23rd NBA season, the 41-year-old continues to defy every expectation we’ve come to associate with aging superstars.
He’s not just hanging on-he’s still driving the bus. But as the season unfolds, there’s growing speculation that this could be the final act of his storied run with the Los Angeles Lakers.
That uncertainty has stirred up old memories-particularly from his departure from the Miami Heat back in 2014. Former teammate Chris Bosh recently opened up about that moment during an appearance on the All the Smoke podcast, and his words offered a rare, unfiltered glimpse into what it felt like to be on the other side of a LeBron decision.
“I thought it was BS,” Bosh recalled, referring to the text he received just ten minutes before the news of LeBron’s exit went public. “Ten minutes later, it was everywhere.
I get it, but at the time I didn’t understand it. I was ready to put the team back together because we had just lost.
We wanted to regroup and win again. It really didn’t go like that.
I took offense to it, to be honest.”
That Heat team-LeBron, Bosh, and Dwyane Wade-wasn’t just a superteam. They were a movement.
The “Big Three” made four straight trips to the NBA Finals and brought home two championships. They were the blueprint for modern roster construction.
But as Bosh explained, the end came fast-and it hit hard.
“I’m a competitor,” he said. “When you go back to the locker room and Bron ain’t in that chair, and everybody’s looking at you and D-Wade for that 25 points, it’s like, damn, man.
My knee hurts… I was upset. It took months to get over it.
We had to be in the same place and talk about it. We had to get back to a mode of not rebuilding, but getting more out of ourselves-not always having that easy thing of relying on 6 to do his job.”
That’s the kind of behind-the-scenes honesty you rarely hear. Bosh wasn’t just reacting as a teammate-he was reacting as a competitor who believed there was still more to accomplish. And when LeBron left for Cleveland, the Big Three era ended not with a bang, but with a text.
Fast forward to today, and LeBron’s still proving he can control the narrative. After the Lakers’ recent win over the Dallas Mavericks, he was asked about how much longer he sees himself playing.
His response? Vintage LeBron.
“I could, but I don’t know,” he said. “It’s not like my game is deteriorating.
I have so much knowledge of the game that I know how to still continue to make an impact. I can still do so many things on the floor.”
And he’s not wrong. Against Dallas, he dropped a triple-double-28 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists-in a 124-104 win.
That wasn’t a nostalgia performance. That was LeBron doing what he’s always done: taking over a game, bending it to his will, and reminding everyone that he’s still one of the most impactful players in the league.
But while the numbers say he can keep going, there’s a sense that LeBron’s not interested in a long goodbye. He’s never been one to chase a farewell tour. If and when he decides to walk away, it’ll likely be swift, on his own terms, with little warning-just like it was in Miami.
So here we are again, watching the clock, wondering how many more times we’ll get to see LeBron lace them up in a Lakers uniform. Whether this is his final season in purple and gold or just another chapter in an already legendary career, one thing’s clear: LeBron James is still writing his own story. And for now, the ink hasn’t run dry.