Report: LeBron considering retirement after Lakers' playoff exit originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has expressed on multiple occasions that he has a desire to play in the NBA with his son, Bronny, who likely will enter the league for the 2024-25 season.
But LeBron might be having a change of heart.
After the Lakers were swept in the Western Conference finals by the Denver Nuggets on Monday at Crypto.com Arena, TNT and Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes reported, citing league sources, that James is "unsure" if he will play next season and retirement is under consideration.
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Haynes' report came a short time after James spoke to reporters following Game 4 and admitted he has to think about whether he wants to continue his playing career.
LeBron walking away while playing at an extremely high level despite being 38 years old would be a stunning development. On Monday night, he finished with a game-high 40 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out nine assists. He shot 15 of 25 from the field and 4 of 7 from 3-point range.
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In his 20th NBA season, James averaged 29.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 35.5 minutes over 55 games. In 16 playoff games,, including a six-game second-round series win over Steph Curry and the Warriors, he averaged 24.5 points.
James still has two years left on his contract, including a player option for the 2024-25 season. Next season, he's scheduled to earn just under $47 million. His option for in 2024 is worth just over $50 million.
If James were to walk away, it would bring to an end one of the greatest careers in NBA history. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 draft, he has lived up to the enormous hype and has etched his place among the greatest players to ever lace them up. Earlier this season, he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most regular-season points in NBA history.
But it's also very possible that the emotions of a bitter NBA playoff exit caused James to hint at retirement. He's still playing at a superstar level and he wants to play with his son during the 2024-25 season, so it seems hard to believe that he would call it quits now.
Time will tell if James actually will walk away or if he will be back playing for the Lakers next season.
