LOS ANGELES — LeBron James added more hardware to his already overwhelming showcase of accolades during the 2023 ESPY Awards—but he also made it clear that he's still got more to give on the court.
James was awarded Best Record-Breaking Performance for surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for an NBA career scoring record last season, with his family on stage to present the trophy.
RELATED: LeBron James now the NBA’s all-time scoring king
During his speech, James thanked his sons Bronny and Bryce, his daughter Zhuri and his wife Savannah. He also thanked all of his teammates and mentors and, of course, the fans.
But while accepting the award, James also addressed ideas that he might be considering retirement after a 20-year career that has never seemed to slow down.
"When the season ended, I said I wasn't sure if I was going to keep playing, and I know a lot of experts told you, guys, what I said, but I'm here now speaking for myself," James said. "In that moment, I'm asking myself if I can still play without cheating the game. Can I give everything to the game still? Truth is, I've been asking myself this question at the end of the season for a couple years now."
James went on to say he doesn't care about how many points he goes on to score or his overall production on the court moving forward; what he wants to be able to do in order to continue his NBA career is playing without what he says is "cheating the game."
Ramping up to a suspenseful answer to that question, James made his future, at least for the upcoming season, clear.
"The day I can't give the game everything on the floor is the day I'll be done," James said. "Lucky for you guys, today is not that day."
James said seeing his sons play basketball and the love and fire they have for the game continue to fuel him—and he's got plenty left in the tank.
"So yeah, I've still got something left. A lot left," James said.
Watch live and local news any time:
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
