TheLos Angeles Lakersgot swept on Monday night, with a Western semifinal loss to theOklahoma City Thunderthat immediately thrust the spotlight onLeBron James and his future.
Withall the talk about the "R" word-- retirement -- swirling for the 41-year-old who's done it all in a career full of accomplishments, will he truly call it quits now?
He spoke openly about that in a postgame chat with reporters.
"I don’t know what the future holds for me," he said. "As it stands right now tonight, I got a lot of time. ... I’ll go back and recalibrate with my family and talk with them, and spend some time with them, and when the time comes, obviously, you guys will know what I decide to do.”
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Why LeBron might retire after this season
First off, he's getting older. Father Time catches up with everyone. And there's really not much left that he hasn't done already that might be on his NBA bucket list. MVPs. Multiple rings, including one at every stop (including delivering one to Cleveland). Playing with his son, Bronny.
Plus, there's the fact that he's on a Lakers team where's not the top option anymore, something he spoke about on Monday.
Why LeBron might not retire after this season
This tweet sums it up. There's a lot we don't know heading into the offseason, with player movement being what it is these days. Maybe he settles in as the Lakers' second or third option after having experienced it this year, giving the team one last run to a title with a healthy Luka Doncic.
This article originally appeared on For The Win:LeBron retirement talk starts about future after Lakers sweep vs. Thunder