On Wednesday evening, LeBron James, Luka Dončič, and the Los Angeles Lakers misplaced to Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, a revived Julius Randle, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, 103-96, in sport 5 of the primary spherical of the Western Convention playoffs, dropping the sequence 4-1. That loss ended the Lakers’ season—their second first-round playoff exit in a row—regardless of their 50-32 document and a 3-seed within the West.
This season, capped off by a legendary (historic, insane, and so on.) mid-season commerce of NBA All-NBA expertise Dončič to the Lakers in alternate for NBA All-Star (and member of the Lakers’ 2020 NBA Championship-winning staff) Anthony Davis, was seen by many as an opportunity for the Lakers to contend for one more title. These hopes have been dashed over the course of the sequence as Edwards continued to wow analysts and followers alike along with his dedication and can to win.
After all, as occurs yearly when James’ groups lose within the playoffs (James has 4 NBA Championship rings—two with the Miami Warmth and one every with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers), he was requested throughout his post-game presser about his ideas on his future (and retirement) as he closed out his twenty second season within the NBA.
“I don’t know. I don’t have a solution to that. One thing I’ll sit down with my household, my spouse and my assist group, and form of simply discuss by way of it and see what occurs. And simply have a dialog with myself on how lengthy I wish to proceed to play.”
After all, James was requested how the roster is likely to be improved to (hopefully) guarantee higher odds for subsequent 12 months’s playoffs, ought to he return; James has till June 29 to opt-in to a contract with the Lakers for the 2025-2026 marketing campaign that might pay him $52.6 million. In any other case, he would develop into a free agent.
“It’s a enterprise,” mentioned arguably the best NBA participant of all time. “So that you don’t know what the roster will appear like subsequent 12 months apart from the blokes that [are] locked into contracts. S—, I obtained lots to consider myself. So I don’t know what the roster will appear like. I don’t know the place I stand proper now.”
Notably, James—whose son LeBron “Bronny” James, Jr. is underneath contract with the Lakers till the 2027-2028 season—was instrumental in his son placing on a Lakers uniform and the addition of head coach, J.J. Redick. Redick and James had a podcast collectively the place they mentioned basketball earlier than Redick was introduced as the brand new head coach of the Lakers.
James, when requested to make clear his feedback on his contract, made certain to level out that he’s not (at the moment) contemplating different groups to play for, however his want to play interval.
“Simply persevering with to play, I don’t know the place I’m at. That’s what that’s. Not coming again to play right here. Simply taking part in, interval.”
He continued, “I don’t know the reply to that proper now, to be trustworthy. So we’ll see.”
It appears to be like just like the summer time of 2025 will likely be a pensive one within the James family.
