"I’m tired of you" - Mark Cuban speaks bluntly on LeBron James' retirement speculations
Mark Cuban recently shared his thoughts on LeBron James' retirement talk. The LA Lakers superstar will be 40 in two months and is still playing at a high level. He previously revealed he would play for a couple of years until calling it a career, but a specific date is yet to be set.
During a conversation with TMZ Sports on Saturday, the Dallas Mavericks minority owner sent a clear message to James regarding the future of his career.
“Yes, LeBron, it’s time for you to quit,” Cuban said. “I’m tired of you.”
He added that he wants James to be gone because he's still performing at a terrific level and he doesn't want the Mavericks to stay dealing with him.
“No, I’m bein’ serious, only ’cause he’s still so good,” Cuban said. “He’s on the Lakers. They’re our rivals, so, it’s time to retire, LeBron.”
The Lakers haven't faced the Mavericks in the NBA playoffs for a while now, but they have starred in entertaining games with the Texan franchise in the regular season.
Just last season, the Purple and Gold were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the postseason while the Mavericks made it all the way to the Finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics in five games.
This season, both teams have renewed hopes after making intriguing additions to their rosters and coaching staff. Mark Cuban is in a different role with the Mavs, but he's still passionate about the team and wants to win more than anything.
Mark Cuban recalls how Mavericks were close to trading for Kobe Bryant
Back in 2007, Mark Cuban tried to influence the career of another Lakers superstar. At that time, he was trying to get Kobe Bryant to the Mavericks and according to him, the deal was close to being getting done.
"Do you realize how close we were to trading for Kobe in 2007?" Cuban asked Shaquille O'Neal on his podcast a couple of weeks ago. "I was literally this close. I talked to Jerry Buss and worked something out with Jerry because Kobe had asked to leave. Jerry said, 'Ok, if you want to leave, we'll take care of it.'"
He said that until Mitch Kupchak stepped in, Kobe was almost a Maverick. He would have teamed up with Dirk Nowitzki in one of the most sensational duos that the league would have ever seen.