CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 30: LeBron James #23 talks with JJ Redick # of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on October 30, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Many believe the Los Angeles Lakers’ game five loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves could be LeBron James‘ last game as an NBA player.
For now, the future Hall-of-Famer is still undecided.
“I don’t know. I don’t have an answer to that,” James said.
James, 40, has a $52.6 million player option to return to the Lakers for the 2025-2026 season. He must opt in by June 26, or he will become a free agent.
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The Lakers’ season ended in a largely disappointing fashion. After winning 50 games in the regular season and finishing as the third seed in the Western Conference, the Lakers were gentleman swept by the Timberwolves.
Three of the Lakers’ four losses in the series were by double digits.
“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 off-season of disappointment and fulfillment.”
James is not the only player on the Lakers with an uncertain future. Luka Doncic will likely be offered a four-year, $229 million contract from the Lakers. Doncic is still “considering his options.”
James finished game five with 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He finished 9-21 from the field. He was last on the Lakers in plus/minus with a -14.
“I got a lot to think about myself,” he said. “So I don’t know what the roster will look like. I don’t know where I stand right now.”
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