05 June 2023 , 17:52
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Former NBA player Nate Robinson shared his thoughts on the retirement rumours regarding LeBron James.
Following the LA Lakers being swept by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals last month, the four-time champion admitted he is thinking about his future in the sport. At the age of 38 and in his 20th season, the athlete scored 40 points in game four against the Nuggets and played every minute of the contest, despite playing through the playoffs on an injured foot.
Since then the basketball world has been speculating on whether we have seen the last of the sporting icon as a player. But during a chat with Sporting Post, Robinson, a former point guard who spent 13 years in the NBA, does not think the 19-time All-Star will quit the game this season. “No, he does a good job of taking care of his body and he’s going to come back ready to play next year,” the three-time Slam Dunk contest champion said.
“I think he’s going to want to play with his son one day, who is one or two years away from being drafted. He is going to want to be the first father/son combo in the NBA. He wants to make history, that would be awesome. It’s unheard of.” Following the Lakers’ playoff exit when James said much he ‘has a lot to think moving forward’, he expanded on what he will consider in order to return for a 21st professional season.
"It's all about availability for me and keeping my mind sharp, and things of that nature,” the four-time NBA Finals MVP said. "Being present on the floor, being present in the locker room and bus rides and plane rides, things of that nature. It's challenging, for sure. It was a very challenging season for me, for our ballclub, and obviously we know whatever went on early on. It was cool, a pretty cool ride."
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Robinson, who represented the New York Knicks from 2005-2010, also commented on the form of Nikola Jokic. The Denver Nuggets star won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and became just the sixth player and first at the center position to register 500 points and over 100 assists in a single postseason.
He continues to impress and led the Nuggets to the number one seed in the Western Conference, and Robinson thinks the Serbian should have won the regular season MVP award. “He [Jokic] should have won the MVP this year if you ask me,” the former Nuggets star said. "He’s playing lights out, he is doing things that haven’t been done.
Robinson played in the NBA for 13 years and won the slam dunk contest three times (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)“He’ll play the game the right way, he’s fun to watch - he does everything you want him to do. love his game - when he’s on I’m glued to the TV, I want to see what he does next! He makes some big time shots and he lives for the moment. For me he’s the best player in the world right now. Now, he is missing one final piece of the puzzle - the Championship.”
Despite scoring 41 points in game two of the NBA Finals, the Nuggets were beaten 111-108 by the Miami Heat. This marked the fourth time that Jokic has scored 40 points or more in a playoff game and not finished on the winning team. “We just didn't play well, the right way in the fourth quarter. They scored 36 points in the fourth quarter. That's too much, of course. They got a couple of rebounds. It was just — happened to be like that,” Jokic admitted post-game.
“They scored 17 threes, they shoot 48 percent, which is really, really good, of course. Just I think be disciplined, just if somebody is running, run him off — I think the discipline is the key for us. If you are not disciplined, if we're going to have a breakdown, it's not going to be a long series, of course. Just because they are punishing you as soon as you make mistakes. Hopefully we're going to be disciplined for next game.” The Heat handed the Nuggets their first loss at home since March 30 and will head back to Miami for game three on Wednesday night with a chance to take the lead in the series.