“You didn't play Stephen A.” – JJ Redick roasts Stephen A. Smith for blowing LeBron James contemplating over retirement 

Following the end of the LA Lakers playoff run Monday, news broke of LeBron James considering retirement. This year concluded his 20th season in the league.

Given how big this piece of news in, many quickly chimed in on LeBron James possibly hanging it up for good. Since entering the NBA back in 2003, he has been a foundational pillar for the association.

During a recent episode of ESPN's "First Take," JJ Redick and Stephen A. Smith got into a bit of a heated discussion about the LA Lakers star. As a former player, Redick understands what it's like to be at the end of the line. After Stephen A. shut down what he said, the former sharpshooting guard did not hold back.

“You didn't play Stephen A. You don't understand our athletic mortality. Three games at, wherever, South Dakota, Winston-Salem State doesn't count.”

NBACentral

@TheNBACentral

“You didn't play Stephen A. You don't understand our athletic mortality. 3 games at, wherever, South Dakota, Winston-Salem State doesn't count.”

- JJ Redick

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“You didn't play Stephen A. You don't understand our athletic mortality. 3 games at, wherever, South Dakota, Winston-Salem State doesn't count.”

- JJ Redick 😬

https://t.co/2Wk7NJzlPd

Stephen A. did play at Winston-Salem State University, but his stats don't jump off the page for the right reasons.

ClutchPoints

@ClutchPointsApp

Lmao Stephen A. Smith's 1.5 PPG in his final season in college 🤣

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Lmao Stephen A. Smith's 1.5 PPG in his final season in college 🤣 https://t.co/3p6wr1gp4c

Is JJ Redick right with his comments about LeBron James considering retirement?

Outside of his remarks to Stephen A. Smith, JJ Redick made some good points when discussing LeBron James. Everything the LA Lakers star does is calculated, including comments like this.

This offseason, the Lakers front office has a lot of work to do regarding the roster. Most of the pieces they acquired at the deadline are free agents, and so is Austin Reaves. LeBron's idea of retirement could be a message to the front office to keep building a supporting cast worthy on contention.

Another thing that Redick point out is that LeBron might see the writing on the wall. After two decades of dominance, the end of the road might be near. Even more so considering that he played most of this year injured. The wear and tear of a long career might finally be starting to catch up to him.

At the end of the day, it seems unlikley that LeBron actually does step away. He's made it very clear that he wants to play alongside his son Bronny in the NBA. With that dream being a year away, it seems doubtful that he'd step away for good.

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