LeBron James isn’t ready to make a decision about his NBA future in the wake of the Los Angeles Lakers’ season-ending loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
The visiting Thunder prevailed 115-110 to sweep the teams’ Western Conference semi-final series despite James registering 24 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
The 41-year-old just completed his record-setting 23rd NBA season, and the league’s all-time leading scorer is heading into unrestricted free agency.
“What my future [holds], I don’t know, obviously,” he said after the defeat. “I mean, this is obviously still fresh from obviously losing and I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know what the future holds for me obviously as it stands right now tonight.
“I got a lot of time to sit back like I think I said last year after we lost, I think to Minnesota, to go back and recalibrate with my family and talk with them and spend some time with them and then when the time comes, I’ll obviously you guys will know what I decide to do.“
James was selected to his 22nd consecutive All-Star Game as he thrived in an unfamiliar role for much of the season. Luka Dončić was the Lakers’ top offensive threat, and he led the league with an average of 33.5 points per game. Austin Reaves ranked second on the team at 23.3 points per game, with James third at 20.9 points per game. James contributed 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Dončić missed all of the Lakers’ playoff games due to a hamstring injury. Reaves sat out the final five regular-season games and first four postseason games because of oblique strains. In the playoffs, James averaged 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds.
“Obviously we fell a little short, but I’m not looking at my year as a disappointment, that’s for damn sure,” James said. “I was put in some positions I never played in my career before, actually in my life. I’ve never been a third option in my life.
“So, to be able to thrive in that role for that period of time and then have to step back into the role that I’ve been accustomed with over my career or my life playing this sport and be able to thrive under that and then just my teammates allowing me to lead them under extreme circumstances, I thought that was pretty cool for me at this stage of my career.“
Reaves also has a decision to make about his future. The 27-year-old guard has a $14.9m player option that he is expected to decline to become an unrestricted free agent.
“It’s been fun. It’s been a joy. It’s been a grind,” Reaves said after the Lakers’ Monday loss. “A lot of things didn’t go our way this season and there were a lot of opportunities for us to quit, and you know, that’s not who we got in the locker room or the organization. Everybody stuck together.
“I’ve been around the NBA for five years now. I know a lot of teams would have given up [due to late-season injuries], and that wasn’t the case with this team.”
In Monday’s other game, Donovan Mitchell tied an NBA playoff record with 39 points in the second half as the Cleveland Cavaliers evened their series against the Detroit Pistons with a 112-103 victory. Mitchell evened the mark of Eric “Sleepy” Floyd on a free throw with 27.6 seconds remaining. He had a chance to break the record, set in 1987 against the Los Angeles Lakers, but missed his second foul shot. Mitchell finished with 43 points. Caris LeVert had a season-high 24 points for Detroit. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Detroit.
