“My dogs right there!!” wrote LeBron James on X after a picture of Kevin Love and JR Smith hugging it out went viral on the internet. LeBron and Love haven’t been teammates for over 7 years now. Despite that, the bond the duo created during their 4 seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers left an impact that continues to last today. Therefore, when the 4x NBA champion wanted to get back on the basketball court after weeks of recovery, he knew just who to call to practice alongside him.

Earlier today, ‘King James’ took to his official Instagram account to share a story with his 159 million followers. The same showed him practicing at the high-end facility at Summit, New York City. Kevin Love was practicing alongside him, with the duo taking turns to make two shots each from different parts of the paint. Being veterans, it wasn’t a surprise that each of LeBron and Love’s shots connected with the net.

Along with the IG story, LeBron James also highlighted the practice session through a post. He wrote a caption alongside the post that read “Man it felt good to get back out there today for the first time since my MCL injury (Almost 8 weeks ago). Been at it with my rehab & training regiment to get back to form. Obviously not where I wanna be ultimately but off to a good start. Damn what a GREAT FEELING!! S/O my ♾️ brother @kevinlove for allowing me to crash his workout! And also S/O @cbrickley603 for always looking out when I’m in the city! 🙏🏾🫡 👑”.

And just so you know, Bron hilariously added a comment on his final IG story, “KLOVE FOR PRESIDENT!!!”. Certainly a bold take but being someone who did not support Donald Trump back in 2024, LeBron certainly wouldn’t be throwing his support behind the current US President anytime soon.

LeBron James had recently traveled to New York, along with several other NBA players, to attend the 2025 Fanatics Fest. The trip had its upsides, and downsides, as seen when he was met with boos and jeers from hecklers while walking the streets of NY. TMZ posted a video on Sunday of James getting booed and heckled by New Yorkers. One of them could even be heard saying, “You’ll never be (Michael) Jordan or Kobe (Bryant).” Therefore, probably to make up for that moment, the 40-year-old thought to get in some practice and a good bonding session, with his former teammate.

LeBron James’ social media update provides good news in more than one way. After all, not only did it show a reunion with Kevin Love, it also allowed Lakers fans to exhale a bit after worrying about the star player’s health. The post didn’t come with any official decision, any press conference, or any hint of a timetable, but it spoke volumes. It aligned with the remarks LeBron had made about his future a few days ago.

LeBron James shut down retirement rumors by highlighting hope for “100%” knee recovery by training camp

The memory of losing Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and LeBron James simultaneously sustaining a Grade 2 MCL sprain is still fresh in the minds of many Lakers fans. In the words of the NBA All-Time Scorer, the injury was a “pain that I hadn’t felt before.” Therefore, it raised some serious concerns about his availability for the next season. It even raised concerns whether the player would use the injury to finally conclude his NBA career after a memorable 22-year run. Fortunately, LeBron made it clear that his availability is something he is working on.

In a recent interview with the ‘Associated Press’, LeBron James acknowledged that the thoughts of retirement sometimes do surface. After all, it is something that everyone else in the NBA world continues talking about. However, he is not dwelling on his career coming to an end. In fact, in LeBron’s own words, “I have a lot of time to take care of my injury, my knee, the rest of my body and make sure I’m as close to 100% as possible when training camp begins in late September”. For him, that is the current focus.

As for his retirement, LeBron added, “At this point of my career, you think about when the end is. That’s human nature. You think, is it this year? Or next year? Those thoughts always creep into your mind at this point of the journey. But I have not given it a specific timetable, date. I’m seeing how my body and family react too.”

The 4x NBA champion is yet to make a public decision on whether he’ll return to the Los Angeles Lakers. His $52.2 million player option continues to loom, with the deadline set for June 29th. We don’t know what decision he will take. What we do know now, thanks to LeBron’s own social media posts, is that the 40-year-old is getting back into competitive mode.