Literally no one thought LeBron James was retiring, which is why Dan Patrick is confused that ESPN is treating LeBron not retiring as breaking news.
LeBron was at the ESPYS on Wednesday night to accept the record breaking performance award after passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the NBA’s all-time scoring list last season. During his acceptance speech, LeBron “announced” what we already knew, that he is not retired.
“Luckily for you, that day is not today.”
Come on Bron 😂 pic.twitter.com/4X1Fqs0PqX
— ESPN (@espn) July 13, 2023
“I don’t care how many more points I can score or what I can or can’t do on the floor,” James said. “The real question for me is, can I play this game without cheating? The day I can’t play without giving it all up is the day I’m done. Lucky for you, that day isn’t today.”
The ad gave ESPN a chance to make headlines and put LeBron on the chyron during First Take’s A-Block. It also left former ESPN talent and current Fox Sports Radio host Dan Patrick shaking his head.
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“I wasn’t expecting an announcement,” Patrick said in response to Danette Patrick “Seton” O’Connor bringing up the issue. “I have one, and then ESPN treats it like it’s breaking news. You know what breaking news is? If he retired! Not that he’s coming back. Who thought he could retire? NOBODY.”
LeBron stood there and basked in his glory as the crowd responded to his announcement with a standing ovation, even though everyone already knew he wasn’t retiring. Meanwhile, the championship-winning Denver Nuggets team sat there wondering why, once again, they were being overshadowed by LeBron.
After the Nuggets swept the Los Angeles Lakers from the playoffs en route to their first title in franchise history, LeBron sat down with reporters and hinted at the possibility of retirement. But for months now, someone has been talking about LeBron’s future retirement. Any doubts about whether LeBron would wear a Lakers uniform next season were self-created.
“It’s just necessary,” Patrick added of LeBron’s ESPYS announcement. “And you don’t need it. ‘I want publicity, don’t forget about me, I don’t want to cheat the game.’ Play! Just play. You’re one of the greatest of all time.”
[The Dan Patrick Show]
