Magic Johnson, who will be 32 in August and is about to finish his 12th season in the NBA, raised the specter of retirement Tuesday.
Asked whether a loss in the NBA Finals would be tough on him because his future opportunities for a title are limited, he replied: ”It makes it definitely harder for me. After this, I`ll have only one or two more chances.”
But then he added, ”I`ll evaluate myself after this season. If I want to leave next year, I`ll leave next year. If I want to leave the year after that, I`ll leave the year after that. If I`m tired this summer, I may leave this summer.”
That hint prompted a flurry of questions, among them if he could learn from others on when it`s time to retire.
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”Going out-wise, you can`t learn too much from anybody,” he said. ”You may not want to go out like some guys, but you have to go out when you want. The game`s changed. Maybe you`re tired. Maybe the young guys don`t understand. Whatever it might be, you`ve got to decide.
”But you always wonder how long you`ll go on, not when you`ll quit. What you do now (with L.A. on the brink of elimination in the finals), you get depressed, upset, the whole thing. But then you have to ask, `Do you want to come back?` ”
If you felt the Lakers didn`t have a chance for a title, would that influence your decision?
”If I felt in my heart we didn`t have a chance again, that would sway my decision,” Johnson said. ”If we`re not competitive, I`m going to be out. Every year I evaluate myself and evaluate the team to see what`s happening.” But if you retire now you`ll miss a farewell tour.
”My farewell tour,” Johnson said with a smile, ”would be just coming out to say goodbye to the fans. They wouldn`t have to buy me anything. They could either say `boo` or `yea.` ”