LeBron James to consider NBA future as Lakers exit playoffs

The Lakers entered Wednesday's Game 5 requiring an almighty turnaround after falling 3-1 behind in the series, but a 103-96 defeat at Crypto.com Arena extinguished their hopes.

Luka Doncic had 28 points and nine assists for Los Angeles while James added 22 points, but Rudy Gobert had playoff career highs with 27 points and 24 rebounds for the Wolves.

James, who was eyeing a fifth NBA championship, has now suffered back-to-back exits in the first round of the NBA Playoffs for the first time in his career.

The Lakers have only gone beyond the first round of the postseason twice since 2011-12, winning the NBA championship in 2020 and losing in the Western Conference finals in 2023.

James signed a two-year contract with the franchise in 2024, but he has yet to decide whether he will extend his glittering career into a 23rd season – which would see him break the NBA longevity record he currently shares with Vince Carter.

"I don't know," James said when asked how much longer he would continue in the league after Wednesday's defeat. "I don't have an answer to that.

"It's somewhere where I'll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and talk through it and see what happens.

"And I'll just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play. I don't know the answer to that right now, to be honest. So we'll see."

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Asked if he could seek a move to another team by ESPN, James clarified that his initial comments concerned whether he would play on at all.

He said: "Just continuing to play, I don't know where I'm at. That's what that is. It's not about coming back to play here. Just playing, period."

James will also consider the state of the Lakers' roster before making his decision, adding: "It's a business. You don't know what the roster will look like next year besides the guys that are locked into contracts.

"S***, I've got a lot to think about myself. So I don't know what the roster will look like. I don't know where I stand right now."

Doncic – who arrived via a high-profile trade with the Dallas Mavericks in February – will also have a decision to make this offseason, with the Lakers able to offer him a four-year, $297million contract extension in August.

"I didn't think about it yet," Doncic said. "I've been focused on basketball. So obviously this is the time now to think about everything."

Doncic also praised the work of first-year coach J.J. Redick, despite the Lakers falling short of a championship run.

"I think he's a hell of a coach," Doncic said of Redick. "I'm really glad I got coached by him these couple of months.