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🏀 LeBron Hints at Retirement.

🏀 LeBron Hints at Retirement.

December 30, 2022

Happy Friday Beyond The Press family! Stop if you've heard this one before, Luka Doncic put up yet another triple double last night for the Mavs. He is on an absolute tear and has propelled right to the top of the MVP race with his recent play. Continuing on, today is LeBron James' 38th birthday! Nobody knows when or if father time will catch up to LeBron, however he did drop a hint at potentially leaving the Lakers. Could this result in LeBron retiring sooner rather than later?Today, we break down LeBron's cryptic 'hint' at retirement, Terrell Owens' potential comeback to the NFL, and Charles Barkley's craziest gambling story ever! You're not going to want to miss this!

Have a happy & healthy New Year!

EARLY RETIREMENT?

LeBron Could Retire Sooner than We All Thought

LeBron James was uncharacteristically forthcoming about his future after the Lakers’ latest loss to the Miami Heat. The Lakers seemed to be turning their season around before AD got injured and now, they’re in free-fall mode, and it’s taking a toll on James.

Earlier this offseason, James told Sports Illustrated that he ideally would like to play with his two sons, Bronny and Bryce, which at the earliest, would be in 2026, when he’s 42. But the other night, James seemed to imply that would no longer be the case if his team isn’t winning. When asked how long he wants to continue playing, James told a reporter: "I don't have a number,” then added: “I think about how much longer I'm going to play the game... I don't want to finish my career playing at this level from a team aspect. I'll still be able to be [competing] for championships because I know what I can still bring to any ball club with the right pieces."

Then again, this might not be James signaling retirement; it might be James starting to prepare the public for when he inevitably demands a trade. James isn’t eligible to be traded this year because he signed a contract extension this offseason, but don’t be shocked if that’s where this is headed.

James' extension was surprising, but many people in the media quickly deduced that there was likely a handshake agreement that if he re-signs, the Lakers brass would make trades and build a contender again. However, given how poorly they’ve performed this year, and with no timetable for AD’s return, there’s a growing belief the Lakers will stand pat and give up on the season, which would no doubt betray James' trust and effectively drive him away.

UNPRECEDENTED COMEBACK

How a 49-Year-Old Terrell Owens Nearly Re-Joined the Cowboys

Four years after joining the Hall of Fame and twelve years since he first retired, Terrell Owens reportedly tried to make an NFL comeback this year. His agent was said to be in “constant communication” with the Dallas Cowboys, but in typical T.O. fashion, the deal fell through because the star wide receiver was asking for too much money.

Owens played fifteen years in the NFL and played for Dallas for three of those seasons. An ACL injury prematurely ended his career in 2011, although he’s tried periodically to make comebacks over the years. He made the Seahawks’ training camp in 2012, trained for several teams in 2014, and most recently, T.O. played with Johnny Manziel in the Fan Controlled Football league earlier this year.

If Owens does ever return to the league, he would instantly become the oldest player in NFL history, ahead of George Blanda, a dual-threat quarterback/placekicker, who last played for the Oakland Raiders in 1975 at 48 years old. Given the demanding pace of today’s NFL, it seems unlikely Owens can still perform at this level, despite being an all-time great at the position. But if Owens's agent is to be believed, he recently ran a 4.50 40-yard dash as “a warm-up,” so maybe T.O. has more football in him after all, assuming, of course, the price is right.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

Inside Charles Barkley's $30M Gambling Woes

If you’re a fan of the NBA, you know that Sir Charles loves games of chance, but what you might not know is just how much he’s lost over the years. Barkley has lost staggering amounts of money throughout his legendary career, and over the years, he’s given us little sneak peeks into this wild world.

One such instance occurred during an interview with In Depth. Barkley was asked how many times he’s lost a million dollars gambling, and Barkley legitimately didn’t know. Imagine having so much money that you couldn’t remember how many times you lost a million dollars. Barkley did provide an estimate and said it was between 10-20 times. Now to Chuck's credit, he didn’t always lose. There’d be instances where he’d be up 600-700K, but more often than not, he would try to chase a million and then end up back in the red.

If that wasn’t crazy enough, Barkley once revealed to ESPN that he lost $2.5M not just in one night but in the span of two hours! Now as much as that had to sting, none of these losses ever really impacted his life. The number one rule of gambling is to never bet what you can’t afford to lose, and Barkley, even though he reportedly lost $30M, could always afford it.