LOS ANGELES — LeBron James limped out of Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday, his left leg swollen from a knee-to-knee collision and his spirit sapped from a 103-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves that ended his 22nd year in the NBA with a first-round playoff exit.
As has been his custom the past several seasons when offering his thoughts on the future immediately following the Los Angeles Lakers’ final game, James said he was unsure.
“I don’t know,” James said when asked how much longer he planned to play before retiring. “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, 40, has a player option to return to the Lakers for 2025-26 worth $52.6 million that he must opt into by June 29 or become a free agent.
Asked about ways the Lakers could improve for next season after losing 4-1 to the Timberwolves, despite coming into the series as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with home-court advantage, James again gave an uncertain 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.”
Asked to clarify his remarks, James said that when he referenced his contract, he was not alluding to looking at any other teams to play for.
“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.”
His answer could certainly have been affected by the exhaustion from playing 40 minutes in the elimination game, finishing with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals to help Los Angeles claw back from an early 14-point deficit to briefly hold the lead in the fourth quarter.
When considering James’ future, it should be noted that his son, Bronny James, is under contract with the Lakers for two more seasons, with a team option for 2027-28.
“I’m excited for the years to come,” Bronny James said after the loss when asked about his memories of playing with his father as a rookie.
Lakers star guard Luka Doncic also moved gingerly off the postgame podium after tweaking his back in a collision with Donte DiVincenzo — the same Timberwolves player James’ knee collided with.
“It’s not good at all,” Doncic said of his back after finishing with 28 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds in 40 minutes. “But I tried to go. So … that’s it.”
Like James, Doncic will have a contract decision to make this summer. Come Aug. 2, the Lakers will be able to offer him a four-year, $297 million contract extension.
Doncic said he will need time to consider his options.
“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.”
Lakers first-year coach JJ Redick said he would have things to mull over this summer after his first playoff series ended in disappointment.
“There’s always ways to get better,” Redick said. “And I can get a lot better.”
Both James and Doncic endorsed the job Redick did.
“I think he’s a hell of a coach,” Doncic said. “I’m really glad I got coached by him these couple of months. It feels sometimes like I’m back in Europe a little bit. So I love it. We have a great bond. It’s been nothing but amazing with him as a coach.”
Added James: “I think JJ’s going to continue to grow. Thought he had a hell of a rookie campaign for a rookie coach. And it’s a lot different being a rookie coach. It’s already hard being a rookie coach in the NBA. And it’s a hell of a lot harder being a rookie head coach coaching the Lakers. It’s a whole nother ballgame. And I thought he handled it extremely well. I thought he just learned every single day, held us accountable. He pushed us.”
But Wednesday, the Timberwolves pushed the Lakers out of the playoffs and into the offseason far sooner than anyone in Los Angeles had planned.
“For me, since my first NBA Finals appearance in 2007, the moment I got an opportunity to be a part of that and taste that feeling, from there on, every season that I did not make it to the Finals or did not win the championship has been a disappointment,” James said. “So … it will be an offseason of disappointment and unfulfillment.”
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