The Los Angeles Lakers have been swept in the Western Conference Semifinals following their 115-110 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena on Monday. This Game 4 against the Thunder could prove to be LeBron James‘ last outing as a Laker, as he will hit free agency this summer.
The 41-year-old James could potentially walk away from the game as well, having talked about retirement on a few occasions this season. So, all of this invariably led to him being asked in his postgame press conference what’s left for him in the NBA.
“I think you guys asked me about [retirement], and I’ve answered questions,” James said, via Infanity TV. “Yeah, I don’t think I’ve come out like, ‘Oh, retirement is coming.’ So, I mean, with my future, I don’t know. Obviously, I mean… we still fresh from obviously losing, and I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know what the future holds for me, obviously, as it stands right now tonight.
“I got a lot of time,” James continued. “I’ll sit back. I think I said it last year after we lost, I think to Minnesota, to go back and recalibrate with my family, and talk with them and spend some time with them, and then when the time comes, obviously, you guys will know what I’ll decide to do.”
James became the first player ever to play a 23rd season in the NBA by suiting up in 2025-26. The way the 22-time All-Star’s campaign started, though, it looked like this was going to be the end.
James was diagnosed with sciatica on his right side at the start of training camp and would remain on the sidelines for weeks. He’d miss the first 14 games of this season, and when he did finally return, he looked like a shell of his former self.
Things were so bad that James’ incredible 1,297-game double-digit scoring streak ended against the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 4, 2025. He was written off due to these struggles, with Father Time finally seeming to get the better of him.
James would slowly start playing better, but he was then required to make a big adjustment. The Lakers needed him to be the third option behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. It wasn’t a role he had ever taken on in the NBA.
James was willing to sacrifice for the greater good, and the Lakers would take off as a result. They went 15-2 in March, but then disaster struck. Both Doncic and Reaves went down with injuries on April 2 in a game against the Thunder and were ruled out for the rest of the regular season.
That meant James had to step up and become the first option. He made the transition extremely well, something he is quite proud of, powering the Lakers past the Houston Rockets in six games in the first round of the playoffs.
James couldn’t lead the Lakers past the Thunder, but there is no shame in that. They’re the defending champions and are likely to win it all again in 2026.
James finished these playoffs with averages of 23.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game. There is gas left in the tank, but that’s not the only factor in play in his decision-making process regarding his future.
“I think for me it’s about the process,” James said. “If I can commit to still being in love with the process of showing up to the arena five and a half hours before a game to start preparing for a game, giving everything I got, diving for loose balls, and doing everything that you know that it takes to go out and play.
“And showing up to practices, 11:00 practice,” James continued. “‘Cause I’m here at 8:00 preparing my body, preparing my mind, preparing to practice, to put the work in. So I think for me, I’ve always been in love with the process and not the aftermath of like, okay, well, we won that game or we won a championship… I’ve always enjoyed the process more than the outcome.
“So, I think that would be a big factor,” James added. “And then also have a conversation with my 12-year-old daughter, that’s a big factor. And my 19-year-old son is entering his second year at Arizona, and my wife as well. So, they’re a huge factor in any decision I’ve made. So, they’ll be a big part of it as well.”
James has not been able to devote nearly as much time to his loved ones as he’d have hoped for over two decades now. You couldn’t blame his wife, Savannah, if she wants him to be at home now. James’ only daughter, Zhuri, would also love to have her father around a lot more, like any other girl.
Family matters more than anything else for James, and it will be interesting to see what he ends up doing. You’d expect him to keep playing, but we are not privy to those behind-the-scenes conversations.
