Why retiring as a Laker is the most realistic outcome for LeBron James

Over the past couple of weeks, LeBron James’ future with the Los Angeles Lakers has been one of the biggest talking points around the NBA and sports circles.

Not having him signed for another year raised questions about whether he wanted to leave, especially after his agent, Rich Paul, talked about his desire to win another championship.

However, Paul also made it loud and clear that James hasn’t requested to be traded, and while he will still be a free agent next offseason, he’s got a no-trade clause and will play for them right now.

James also hasn't reportedly made a decision about retirement. But while he could technically leave and play for a little longer somewhere else, that may not be in his best interests. Here, we'll discuss why.

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3 reasons why LeBron James should retire a Laker

Family ties

As crazy as it may seem, LeBron has already been with the Lakers for twice as long as he was with the Miami Heat. He's about to enter his eighth campaign with the Purple & Gold, and his family and business headquarters are all settled in Southern California.

It's hard to imagine that James would want to be away from his family at this point in his career, and it's even harder to envision them moving away just for a year or two while he continues his basketball career.

Bryce James' arrival

James already made history by teaming up with his older son, Bronny. Now, he can do the same with his younger child, Bryce Maximus, who's about to play his freshman season at Arizona. Why would he settle for playing with one of his sons when he can have both on the team?

While he's no longer the featured franchise player in Los Angeles, he could and should still have some leverage with Rob Pelinka. Staying with the Lakers all but guarantees that they will also take Bryce, but there are no guarantees if he signs with a championship-contending team that can't afford to give up another roster spot.

Legacy

LeBron James doesn't have anything else to prove at this point in his career. Then again, jumping teams again will only hurt his almost unstained résumé and legacy. It's never usual to see a player of his caliber play for so many different teams, and his haters have always called him out for jumping teams.

Also, there's a certain cachet that comes with playing for the Lakers. They have had most of the greatest players in NBA history play and excel for them, and there's just something about retiring as a Laker that hits differently.

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About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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