LeBron James is not ready to make a decision about his NBA future following the Los Angeles Lakers' season-ending loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. The Thunder secured a 115-110 victory, completing a 4-0 sweep in the Western Conference semi-finals, despite James recording 24 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
The 41-year-old, who has just completed his record-setting 23rd NBA season, is now heading into unrestricted free agency. Speaking after the defeat, James said: "What my future [holds], I don't know, obviously. 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."
James added that he plans to take time to reflect: "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."
Throughout the season, James was selected to his 22nd consecutive All-Star Game and thrived in an unfamiliar role. Luka Doncic led the Lakers in scoring with an average of 33.5 points per game, followed by Austin Reaves at 23.3 points per game, with James third at 20.9 points per game. James also contributed 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Injuries plagued the Lakers during the playoffs, with Doncic missing all postseason games due to a hamstring injury and Reaves sidelined for the final five regular-season games and first four playoff games because of oblique strains. In the playoffs, James averaged 23.2 points, 7.3 assists, and 6.7 rebounds.
Reflecting on his season, James said: "Obviously we fell a little short, but I'm not looking at my year as a disappointment, that's for damn sure. 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."
Austin Reaves also faces a decision about his future. The 27-year-old guard holds a $14.9 million player option, which he is expected to decline to become an unrestricted free agent. After the loss, Reaves said: "It's been fun. It's been a joy. It's been a grind. 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 NBA playoff game, Donovan Mitchell tied an NBA playoff record with 39 points in the second half as the host Cleveland Cavaliers evened their series against the Detroit Pistons with a 112-103 victory. Mitchell equaled the mark set by Eric "Sleepy" Floyd in 1987 against the Los Angeles Lakers on a free throw with 27.6 seconds remaining. He had a chance to break the record but missed his second foul shot, finishing with 43 points. Caris LeVert recorded a season-high 24 points for Detroit. Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night in Detroit.
