At the unveiling of a Koreatown mural commissioned by the Lakers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said LeBron James should be the one to control his future after hinting at retirement following the Lakers’ elimination from the playoffs.
“At the end of the year, after all that, LeBron and most guys looked like they had gone through two seasons, you know? But they still put in a terrific effort,” Abdul-Jabbar said Monday. “I think it’s up to him to decide. He certainly has nothing to prove. And that’s exactly what he wants to do at this point.
James and Abdul-Jabbar are featured in the mural along with fellow Lakers greats Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Anthony Davis.
James passed Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer on Feb. 8. The two have never had much of a relationship, although Abdul-Jabbar expressed immense respect on Monday.
“I never had a chance to talk to LeBron other than two or three minutes,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “There’s no animosity or resentment there. He’s done some remarkable things. He deserves every accolade, whatever it is, that he’s achieved. … We might get the chance [to speak]. I certainly wouldn’t be against it. When it comes to his heart and the things he does, I have nothing but admiration for him.
The Lakers rallied from a 2-10 start to reach the Western Conference Finals with Abdul-Jabbar frequently attending games.
“I felt that if they hadn’t started so badly, they could have done a lot better. They looked like they were at the end of the season, they were a little gassed, you know?” Abdul-Jabbar said. “But they really did a great job of finding a new identity and going out and doing very well. They narrowly missed out on reaching the final. They should be proud of that. I think it’s a great achievement.
James is over 3,000 minutes behind Abdul-Jabbar for most in NBA history. Abdul-Jabbar retired after his 20th season in 1989. He joked that once he started failing the “ice test” (post-game icing started to become necessary), he knew he had to retire.
“In my penultimate season, the ice started to feel good,” he said. “I knew it was time to get out of there.”
He played his final season receiving tributes in one arena after another, the kind of farewell tour some assumed James would one day want. For Abdul-Jabbar, however, it was an important, if not perfect, end to his career.
“It was hard to deal with all the tributes. It was kind of a distraction,” he said. “But it was also people who would have always wanted to boo me to try to show their appreciation. I really felt that I had to give this back. It was a good experience even if, sometimes, it exhausted me. »
Former Lakers James Worthy, Robert Horry and AC Green also attended the unveiling of muralist Jonas Never’s piece off Vermont Avenue and 7th Street. The team and bibigo food, the Lakers jersey sponsor, also provided a grant to the Koreatown Youth + Community Center.
This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.