LeBron James said Monday night he does not know whether the 24-point performance in the Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff loss was the last game of his NBA career, leaving open the possibility of retirement, a return to the Lakers or another turn he did not discuss. After the Lakers fell 115-110 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, James said he would go home, recalibrate with his family and decide what comes next over the next couple of months.
“I don’t know what the future holds for me, obviously, as it stands right now tonight,” James said after the season-ending defeat. “I’ve got a lot of time now. I think I said it last year after we lost to Minnesota. I’ll go back and recalibrate with my family and talk with them and spend some time with them, and then obviously when the time comes, you guys will know what I decide to do.” He added that nobody knows what is ahead, including him, and said he would take time to look over the season and decide what is best for his future.
The loss completed a four-game sweep by the defending NBA champions and ended a Lakers postseason that had already been playing from behind. The team opened the playoffs without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves because of injuries, then upset Houston in the first round before running into Oklahoma City in the second round. James averaged 23 points, 6.7 assists and 4.0 rebounds in the Conference Semifinals, a solid line that still could not keep Los Angeles alive.
The uncertainty carries extra weight because James is entering his 23rd season and remains the top scorer in league history. He also played a supporting role as the Lakers’ No. 3 option on offense during the regular season, when he averaged 20.9 points per game, shot 31.7% from 3-point range and logged 33.2 minutes per game. His year was interrupted by sciatica that kept him out of training camp and the first 14 games, and he missed eight additional games later in the regular season.
There is also no immediate checklist for the offseason. James said nothing about moving to another team, and he has not previously announced his future immediately after the Lakers’ final postseason defeat in recent summers. He repeated that he would sort things out with his family over the next couple of months, a familiar answer that still leaves one of the league’s biggest questions unresolved. After more games, more wins, more points and more shots than anyone else in NBA history, James is again choosing the same pause he did a year ago: a home conversation before a basketball decision.
He was not eligible for All-NBA team consideration for the 22nd consecutive time, another reminder of how long he has been at the center of the league and how much is still expected of him. For the Lakers, the season is over. For James, the next chapter may not be written until he gets back with the people closest to him.
