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Monday night was an eventful one for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
James rekindled his rivalry with the Phoenix Suns' Dillon Brooks and sank two free throws in the final seconds as the Lakers, despite blowing a 20-point lead, narrowly beat the Suns by a 116-114 score.
The Lakers' road win in Phoenix bumped their record to 18-7, putting Los Angeles just a half-game behind the Denver Nuggets for the second seed in the Western Conference.
Speculation continues to persist that James, who turns 41 on Dec. 30, will retire at the end of the season, making a deep Lakers playoff run paramount for the franchise. Grabbing the second seed in a competitive Western Conference would be a major feather in the cap for coach JJ Redick -- and give the Lakers a better chance to send out James on a high note.
This may be because during the Suns game, James was already fine-tuning his golf swing, in what some fans are suggesting is an indication that the NBA's all-time leading scorer is preparing to step away.
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) December 15, 2025The Phoenix game is not the first time recently that James has been spotted working on his swing.
Before the Lakers lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup quarterfinals last Wednesday, James was seen cheerfully air-swinging in the tunnel before the opening tip.
Lebron more ready for the golf course than a basketball game 😭 pic.twitter.com/i2wwI8iQvw
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) December 11, 2025In his 23rd season, James is averaging 17.6 points, 7.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. He dropped 26 points against the Suns on Sunday, though he struggled to take care of the basketball amid a season-worst eight turnovers.
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