LEBRON James has been eliminated from the playoffs in what could be the final run of his career.
After a 103-96 loss to end the first round of the NBA playoffs, James is left to ponder his future.
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That has been the case for the past few years, as the Los Angeles Lakers star extends his career into his 40s.
After the final game of his season, he shared that his future is uncertain this time around.
“I don’t know,” James said.
“I don’t have an answer to that. Something I’ll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens.
“And just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play.
“I don’t know the answer to that right now, to be honest. So we’ll see.”
James is on the final year of his contract with the Lakers, but has an option to return for the 2025-26 season.
That option is worth $52.6 million and he must opt into it by June 29 or else he will become a free agent.
James was asked how the Lakers could improve after their 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but wouldn’t commit to an answer.
“It’s a business,” James said.
“So you don’t know what the roster will look like next year besides the guys that [are] locked into contracts. S***, I got a lot to think about myself.
“So I don’t know what the roster will look like. I don’t know where I stand right now.”
It seems that James is not only contemplating retirement, but also considering playing for another team.
“Just continuing to play, I don’t know where I’m at,” James told ESPN.
“That’s what that is. Not coming back to play here. Just playing, period.”
2025 NBA Playoff matchups
Western Conference:
Play-In Tournament:
- No. 7 Golden State Warriors vs No. 7 Memphis Grizzlies
- No. 9 Sacramento Kings vs No. 10 Dallas Mavericks
First Round:
- No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs No. 8 seed
- No. 2 Houston Rockets vs. No. 7 seed
- No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers vs No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves
- No. 4 Denver Nuggets vs No. 5 LA Clippers
Eastern Conference:
Play-In Tournament:
- No. 7 Orlando Magic vs No. 8 Atlanta Hawks
- No. 9 Chicago Bulls vs No. 10 Miami Heat
First Round:
- No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs No. 8 seed
- No. 2 Boston Celtics vs No. 7 seed
- No. 3 New York Knicks vs No. 6 Detroit Pistons
- No. 4 Indiana Pacers vs No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks
James isn’t the only Laker with a massive contract decision this summer. Luka Doncic also has to weight his options.
On August 2, the Lakers can offer him a four-year, $297 million extension.
However, he isn’t sure if he is going to take it.
“I didn’t think about it yet,” Doncic said.
“I’ve been focused on basketball. So obviously this is the time now to think about everything.”