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CNN) — Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, who set a new NBA record by making his 20th All-Star appearance at the weekend, told reporters ahead of the history-setting night in Indianapolis that he wants to finish his career as a Laker.
The four-time NBA champion added that although he hasn’t “mapped out” how many seasons he has left, he admitted that “it’s not that many” and is still weighing up the idea of having a farewell tour in his final season.
“I also don’t know if I will – I was asked this question a couple days ago – will you kind of take the farewell tour, or will you kind of just Tim Duncan it?” James said, referencing the understated San Antonio Spurs legend.
“I’m 50-50, I’m going to be honest because there’s times when I feel like I guess I owe it to my fans that have been along this journey with me for two decades plus, to be able to give them that moment where it’s every city and whatever the case may be and they give you your flowers or whatever the case may be. That seems cool.
“But the other side of I’ve never been that great with accepting, like, praise. It’s a weird feeling for me. I never really talked about it much, but it’s just a weird feeling for me. So to go in each city, if that’s the case – I don’tknow.
I’ve seen [Michael Jordan]’s, I’ve seen Kobe [Bryant]’s. I’ve seen a lot of guys. I just don’t know how I’d feel. I don’t know if I’d feel great about it. Maybe the only child in me – maybe.”
James said he’s been “very happy” as a Laker over the last six seasons, adding that “hopefully, it stays that way.”
James has a player option for $51.4 million next season, according to Spotrac, but can decline it and become an unrestricted free agent.
“But I don’t have the answer to how long it is or which uniform I’ll be in,” he said. “Hopefully, it is with the Lakers. It’s a great organization and so many greats. But we’ll see. I don’t know how it’s going to end, but it’s coming. It’s coming, for sure.”
James, 39, now stands alone as the player with most All Star appearances, surpassing the previous record of 19 he held jointly with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
