The NBA community awaits a decision on whether LeBron James plans to return for a 24th season in the league.
The 41-year-old star had stated on his “Mind the Game” podcast that he would contemplate a decision, but nothing would come before he spent time with family over Memorial Day weekend.
“Obviously, I understand that I’m a free agent and I can control my own destiny … but like, I haven’t even really got to that point,” James said in mid-May. “I haven’t even taken my family vacation yet. … That’s kind of the thing at the forefront of my mind.”
Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, but things have remained fairly quiet publicly. A decision from James will be crucial to how the Lakers (and other teams) then approach free agency.
Charles Barkley was asked about James’ future when appearing on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Friday, June 5.
“LeBron only has one play and that’s to go back to Cleveland,” Barkley said. “That’s his only smart and logical choice.”
Barkley believes that James should’ve never left Cleveland after the 2017-18 season.
“They’ll probably be the favorites in the East or in that conversation,” Barkley said. “… It doesn’t do him any good to stay in L.A. Because No. 1, they aren’t going to be competitive in the West, and also it’s time for the Lakers to turn the team over to (Luka Doncic).”
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James, regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, entered the NBA straight out of high school as the number one pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. Take a look back at the four-time NBA champ’s career from high school to the Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, back to Cleveland, and most recently with the Los Angeles Lakers.
(Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James, regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, entered the NBA straight out of high school as the number one pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. Take a look back at the four-time NBA champ’s career from high school to the Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, back to Cleveland, and most recently with the Los Angeles Lakers.
(Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers heads up court agaist the Washington Wizards in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2006 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 22, 2006 in Cleveland, Ohio.
(Gregory Shamus, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers gets in for a first quarter break away dunk in front of Antonio McDyess #24 of the Detroit Pistons in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at the Palace of Auburn Hills on April 26, 2009.
(Gregory Shamus, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James #23 and Sasha Pavlovic #3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate after James made the game winning three pointer against the Orlando Magic in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals.
(Gregory Shamus, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James and ESPN’s Jim Gray speak at the LeBron James’ announcement of his decision to play for the Miami Heat at the Boys & Girls Club of America on July 8, 2010 in Greenwich, Connecticut.
(Larry Busacca, Getty Images for Estabrook Group)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat greets fans as he is introduced during a welcome party at American Airlines Arena on July 9, 2010 in Miami, Florida.
(Doug Benc, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Chris Bosh #1, Dwyane Wade #3, and LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat are introduced to fans during a welcome party at American Airlines Arena on July 9, 2010 in Miami, Florida.
(Doug Benc, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat dunks during a game against the Washington Wizards at American Airlines Arena on November 29, 2010 in Miami, Florida.
(Mike Ehrmann, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat sits on the court as court attendants mop up liquid agaisnt the Dallas Mavericks in the second half of Game Three of the 2011 NBA Finals at American Airlines Center on June 5, 2011.
(Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
July 17, 2013: LeBron James and Savannah Brinson attend the 2013 ESPY Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live.
(Christopher Polk/ Getty Images for ESPY)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Dec. 20, 2013: LeBron James (6) salutes before a game against the Sacramento Kings at American Airlines Arena.
(Steve Mitchell, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Feb 27, 2014: LeBron James (6) puts on his protective mask during the first half against the New York Knicks at American Airlines Arena.
(Steve Mitchell, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
June 5, 2014: LeBron James (6) dunks the ball during the first quarter against against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the 2014 NBA Finals at AT&T Center.
(Soobum Im, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
June 15, 2014: San Antonio, TX, USA; LeBron James (6) and Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra react on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the 2014 NBA Finals at AT&T Center.
(Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Sep. 26, 2014: Kevin Love (0), forward LeBron James (23) and guard Kyrie Irving (2) pose for a photo during media day at Cleveland Clinic Courts.
(Ken Blaze, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Oct 30, 2014: Traffic backs up outside of Quicken Loans Arena where a new LeBron James mural was installed.
(David Richard, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Nov 14, 2014: LeBron James (23) dunks the ball against the Boston Celtics during the first half at TD Garden.
(Mark L. Baer, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Dec. 25, 2014: Dwyane Wade sizes up LeBron James during a game at American Airlines Arena.
(Mike Ehrmann, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Apr 23, 2015: LeBron James (23) dunks against the Boston Celtics during the second half in Game 3 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden.
(David Butler II, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
June 16, 2015: LeBron James (23) walks off the court after losing to the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena.
(Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
March 10, 2016: LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers jokes with Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 120-108 Cavaliers win at Staples Center.
(Harry How, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
June 8, 2016: LeBron James goes up for a dunk during Game 3 of the NBA Finals against Golden State.
(Pool Photo, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
June 19, 2016: LeBron James and Kevin Love celebrate after defeating Golden State in Game 7 of the NBA Finals for the first championship in Cavaliers history.
(Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
June 19, 2016: LeBron James (23) celebrates with Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after beating the Golden State Warriors in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena.
(Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
June 12, 2017: LeBron James goes up for a layup over Kevin Durant during Game 5 of the NBA Finals against Golden State.
(Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Dec. 17, 2017: LeBron James wears special “Equality” shoes during a win over the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C.
(Brad Mills, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Jan. 23, 2018: LeBron James celebrates after scoring his 30,000 career point in a game against the San Antonio Spurs. James is the seventh player in NBA history to reach the 30,000-point milestone.
(Soobum Im, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
February 18, 2018: LeBron James celebrates a victory against Team Stephen following the NBA All-Star Game.
(Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Sept. 24, 2018: LeBron James speaks to media at UCLA Health Training Center before his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
(Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Jan. 25, 2020: James continued him ascent up the career scoring list, passing Lakers legend Kobe Bryant for third place.
(Bill Streicher, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Jan. 25, 2020: After passing Bryant, James even got a standing ovation in Philadelphia, Bryant’s hometown.
(Bill Streicher, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Jan. 31, 2020: LeBron James reacts during the national anthem after a pregame tribute to Kobe Bryant before playing the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center.
(Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Oct. 11, 2020: LeBron James smiles while holding the NBA Finals and MVP trophies after Game 6 of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena. The Los Angeles Lakers won 106-93 to win the series against the Miami Heat.
(Kim Klement, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
May 30, 2021: LeBron James (23) dunks for a basket against the Phoenix Suns during the second half in game four of the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center.
(Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Dec. 15, 2021: LeBron James (6) celebrates the win over the Dallas Mavericks during overtime at the American Airlines Center.
(Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Feb. 7, 2023: LeBron James celebrates with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after breaking the record for all-time scoring in the NBA against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena.
(Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
March 2, 2024 : Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James acknowledges the crowd after scoring his 40,000th career point against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena in Denver.
(Jayne Kamin-Oncea, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Oct. 22, 2024: LeBron James #23 and Bronny James #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers on defense during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
(Harry How, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
April 4, 2025: LeBron James #23 and Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers shake hands against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second quarter at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
(Luke Hales, Getty Images)
The Lakers were swept 4-0 by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. James showed a glimpse of his younger self during the postseason, but it wasn’t going to be enough without Doncic.
“They are not going to be competitive,” Barkley said. “… If (James) stays in L.A., he is doing it for off-the-court reasons.
“If he goes to any other teams, it would just be like him trying to win championships to catch Michael Jordan. It wouldn’t make sense. … He can’t catch Michael Jordan as a mercenary in my opinion.”
James has won four NBA championships during his career, bringing at least one to every team he’s played for (Miami in 2012 and 2013; Cleveland in 2016; Los Angeles in 2020).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charles Barkley thinks LeBron James should return to Cleveland
