Printable Page
05/01 09:51 CDT LeBron: 'I don't have the answer' to questions about his future
after Lakers' exit from NBA playoffs
LeBron: 'I don't have the answer' to questions about his future after Lakers'
exit from NBA playoffs
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --- LeBron James wasn't ready to make any decisions about his
future in the painful moments immediately after his 22nd NBA season ended with
the Los Angeles Lakers' first-round playoff exit.
"I don't have the answer to that," James said Wednesday night when asked how
long he will continue to play. "Something I'll sit down with my wife and my
support group and kind of just talk through it, and see what happens. Just have
conversations with myself on how long I want to continue to play. I don't know
the answer to that right now, to be honest."
The 40-year-old James has given no public indication he is thinking about
retirement this summer, but Lakers fans will be holding their breath until the
top scorer in NBA history makes his plans official.
James provided no hints after recording 22 points, seven rebounds and six
assists in the Lakers' 103-96 loss to Minnesota.
"It's up to me if I'm going to continue to play, or how long I'm going to
continue to play," James said. "It's ultimately up to me, so it has nothing to
do with anybody else."
Most observers think the four-time champion is planning to return for a 23rd
season, which would break the NBA longevity record he currently shares with
Vince Carter. He is also just 49 regular-season games behind Robert Parish, who
holds the NBA record with 1,611 games played. James already holds the league
record for career playoff games with 292.
But his seventh season with the Lakers is over after the Timberwolves' 4-1
series victory. Los Angeles didn't build a winning dynamic quickly enough to
the midseason arrival of Luka Doncic in a seismic trade for Anthony Davis.
James' Lakers have advanced in the postseason just once in the five years since
their championship in the Florida bubble --- but if James returns, he's coming
back to a completely reconfigured team built around his new partnership with
Doncic.
James and Doncic played only 21 games together after the deal, and it wasn't
enough to maximize their potential teamwork. Another full year together could
raise their partnership to formidable levels, and James still seems intrigued
by the prospect of playing a full year or more alongside the Slovenian
superstar he has described as his favorite active player.
"Anytime you make a big acquisition in the middle of the season, it's always
going to be challenging, not only for me, but for (Austin Reaves) and the rest
of the group," James said. "There were times where we obviously didn't look so
well, but I think we kind of figured it out later in the season, the more games
we had. I still don't think we had enough time to mesh, but for the time that
we had, I thought we ended the regular season very well to be top three in the
West."
Doncic isn't the only teammate who could compel James to return: His
20-year-old son, Bronny, is coming off a surprisingly solid rookie season with
the Lakers in which they became the first father and son to play together in
NBA history.
Bronny James is hoping to carve out a bigger role alongside his father next
season after getting sporadic playing time this year. LeBron said the chance to
work alongside Bronny this season was the "No. 1" accomplishment of his career.
There are no apparent contractual or financial issues in James' way: He has a
player option for next season that will pay him more than $56.2 million. That's
serious money to leave on the table, even for a business mogul with a net worth
estimated at more than $1 billion.
An eighth consecutive season with the Lakers would be the longest stretch of
his career with one team, surpassing his first seven seasons with Cleveland ---
although he returned for four more years and a championship with the Cavaliers.
James' level of play remained high in his 22nd season, confounding all previous
notions of basketball longevity. He averaged 24.4 points per game --- his
lowest since his rookie season, but just barely --- along with 8.2 assists and
7.8 rebounds.
James remained the Lakers' heart while they won 52 games and the Pacific
Division title despite the midseason roster upheaval. Every significant
contributor on this season's roster is under contract for 2025-26 except for
Dorian Finney-Smith, who has a $15.3 million player option, and inconsistent
center Jaxson Hayes.
In a moment of reflection near his 40th birthday last December, James
speculated that he could continue to play at this level for five to seven more
years. He doesn't intend to stick around that long, however.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
|
