LeBron James’ 21st season concluded in disappointment. For the second time in a row, the Denver Nuggets thwarted his championship aspirations, defeating the Lakers in five games in the first round of the playoffs. That means another offseason full of uncertainties. Will James retire? Will James return to LA? Or perhaps he’ll form another superteam as he did with the Heat? Even though the Lakers star has said time and again that all he wants to do right now is be with his family, that hasn’t stopped the speculation. To top it off, he isn’t helping his case with his cryptic IG messages.

LeBron James recently stirred the social media pot after sharing comments from Christopher Nolan on that iconic line in his film, The Dark Knight, “You either die a hero or you live long enough to become the villain.” This line was originally delivered by Aaron Eckhart’s crusading district attorney, Harvey Dent, to refer to Julius Caesar and Batman. The simple explanation of the post would be that James is trying to convey his current situation. The narrative of how the same people who put you on a pedestal tear you down when things go wrong. But is there more to James’ post than meets the eye?

Well, LeBron James has long been vocal about his admiration for the Caped Crusader. In a 2015 interview with TNT’s Rachel Nichols, James revealed his Hollywood ambitions, stating, “I would love to do an action movie. Either be, like, a cop or something, or be, like, Batman. Hopefully I can do some more things.” Now that he has pretty much achieved everything possible in the basketball world, the idea of pursuing his Hollywood dream seems more plausible than ever. If something with Christopher Nolan comes to fruition, it won’t be James’ first rodeo. He started his acting career with a small role in “Trainwreck” as Bill Hader’s best friend, and now maybe something bigger is on the cards for him.

Will LeBron James return next season?

The only certain thing right now is that James will be suiting up for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the summer. That could also be the last time we see him play basketball as a pro. Following the heartbreaking 108-106 Game 5 loss, James hinted that retirement might also be on the table.

“It’s still coming. It’s not like, ‘Oh s***, I’m playing so great this year, you know what? I might play and stick around for even more (time). No. It’s coming. It’s cool, because, to be honest, I don’t see myself falling off anytime soon. But then, like, what am I doing?” James said, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I’ve done everything I can do. There’s nothing I haven’t accomplished in this league that I’ve wanted to accomplish. So, like at some point, you got to [hang it up],” added the 39-year-old.

USA Today via Reuters

The bitter truth is that James is probably going to retire sooner rather than later. However, not this year, as per his agent. “I think we do see him next year,” Rich Paul, said. “Now, how many more after that? I do not know. But I think he’s got maybe two or three years left in the tank, maybe,” added Paul.