LeBron James said he is undecided on his NBA future following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 108-106 loss in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets on Monday night.
James, 39, who finished his 21st season with 30 points, 11 assists, 9 rebounds and 4 steals in L.A.’s season-ending loss to the Nuggets, said his immediate focus will be on his family and that his sights then will shift to training camp for USA Basketball ahead of the Paris Olympics this summer.
Asked how he would approach his decision about Year 22, James replied, “I don’t have an answer … to be honest. I haven’t given it much thought.”
He said he would eventually sit down with his agent, Rich Paul, and family to evaluate “what’s best for my career.”
“We’ll cross that when we need to,” James added.
When asked if he considered whether Monday’s game could be his last with the Lakers, James said, “I’m not going to answer that.”
James has until June 29 to either opt into the final year of his contract with the Lakers for $51.4 million or become an unrestricted free agent.
The biggest question mark for L.A. next season beyond James is the status of coach Darvin Ham. Ham’s job is very much in jeopardy following the first-round exit, and the organization will make a decision on his coaching future in the coming days, sources told ESPN.
Ham was asked to reflect on his two seasons manning the sidelines for the Lakers.
“My mind’s all over the place right now, so that’s a great question, but maybe at some point I’ll give you an answer,” Ham said. “It’s been a hell of a two years, though, I’ll tell you that. Sitting in this seat, it’s been a hell of a two years.”
“A lot of good things that got done, but ultimately, you want to win that ultimate prize. I know what that feels like. I had that feeling a couple of times.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves endorsed L.A. bringing James and Russell back and said it was a “joy” to play with everyone on the team this season.
“If there’s anything I can do to help that be possible, that’s what I’ll do,” Reaves said. “Because I’ll believe in what we have. And I believe that with a summer of getting better and then preseason, we could make some noise.”
