Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James hinted at the possibility of retiring after his team lost to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Final of the NBA on Monday.
ESPN reported that the 38-year-old was considering “moving away” from basketball, after the Lakers’ defeat brought the curtain down on his twentieth season in the league.
TNT reporter Chris Haynes, citing league sources, said James’ retirement was “under consideration”.
James himself raised speculation about his future in the post-game press conference, saying he planned to spend some time contemplating the next phase of his career after the Lakers exit.
In response to a question about his reflections on last season, after he became the top scorer in the history of the league, before leading the Lakers to the Western Region final, despite his modest results in the regular league, James said that the campaign was “difficult.”
And James, who scored 40 points in his team’s fourth consecutive loss to Denver 111-113, added Monday: I don’t know. I think things were fine. I don’t like to say it’s been a successful season because I only play to win trophies at this point in my career.
The player, who won the league title four times, added: I am not interested in reaching the regional final. I achieved that a lot, and it’s not fun for me not to be in the league final, but we’ll see what happens in the future. I don’t know. I have a lot to think about to be honest. Just for me personally to get ahead in the game of basketball.
James had extended his two-year contract with the Lakers last August, specifically until the 2024-2025 season.
