Carmelo Anthony Sends NBA Clear Warning About Lakers’ LeBron James

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are coming out of the NBA All-Star break with one goal in mind. They want to win a championship and they have the talent on the roster to make a run at that goal.

Even though James is now 41 years old, he’s still playing at a high level. While the Lakers are led by Luka Doncic these days, James will be an integral part of the team’s championship hopes.

So far this season, James has played in 36 games. He has averaged 22 points per game to go along with 7.1 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.1 steals, while shooting 50.2 percent from the floor and 30.5 percent from the three-point line.

While his numbers have clearly dipped some and he’s no longer the face of the NBA, James is still a big driving force for the league. That’s something that one league legend made clear recently.

Carmelo Anthony spoke out with some strong words and a warning to the NBA about the future without James playing.

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Carmelo Anthony Issues Stern LeBron James Warning to the NBA

During a recent episode of the “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast, Anthony spoke out about James. He doesn’t think the NBA will be the same without “King James” on the court.

“He’s living long enough to be the villain… Still holding this league down,” Anthony said. “This league doesn’t move without Bron. I don’t give a (expletive) what anybody says. It doesn’t move without Bron.”

At the end of the day, James doesn’t have much longer left to play professional basketball. He’s starting to age and retirement is beginning to loom over him.

James likely won’t be done playing after this season. Many expect him to play at least one more year and to announce his retirement plans before his final season. It’s likely that he will want a retirement tour in his final NBA season.

Regardless, when he does choose to retire, the league will be losing one of its main draws.

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What Does LeBron James’ NBA Future Have in Store?

Following the 2025-26 NBA season, it is expected that James and the Lakers will end up parting ways. That could change, but the relationship between the two sides seems to have soured.

If he does choose to leave and play elsewhere to close out his career, a few potential destinations have been brought up as potential options.

Right now, the Cleveland Cavaliers are generating the most buzz as his likely destination. Other teams like the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, and even the Miami Heat have been brought up as potential options.

All eyes will be on James after the season comes to an end. Before all of that, James is hoping to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to another championship.

Evan Massey Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst located in Indianapolis, Indiana who covers the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, and college sports. He has been featured on many publications, including Newsweek, Athlon Sports, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Sporting News, and many others. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son. More about Evan Massey